^<^ <«0 eg ^^ 

"C. C.; «. 



XL", <? 






cc c^ 









C«C ^C"^" «. 



v«- ■<?- 



^ .>^ OCT . <:' <- *^ 



n '%.'%>'^'^'^'s>'^'^'%>'%''=^'%^'«?''^'^'%''^'%'S) 



ILIBRAEY OF CONGRESS.! 



I UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. ^ 






C ' • *__ ^' . .^■ 




od « 


/T" . t * 


CS 










eS 




r- 








«; "d «~>;^ 


<- 

<; 


cd <s 


cc. ' *-- 


«■ 
« 


^- .*--" <<:"d< 


d. 


<.<:-^<'- 




. ^ c:C' 


r <1_ 




c^<'^ 


.! 




^^'" 






4C 




^ 




C c •■■ * ' 


'« 
« 


r< d 'C: ^ ' 




:=--' 


cc « 

<3L «: - 


m% 




a . ?^ «L-<5. ' 


flKi 


^E=: 


_^ 


V/d^ '* 


^ 


|E^ 


'* " 


^-<_cc ^s^ 


<i 


.t?.<:^'dr:^. 


i^ 


?=^ 


cc . t 


<L<S. ^^^ 


<: 


<s.-:cc 'S "^ 


^ 


t=- 




a «s,. <rC--. 


< 


<r:'<C <^ *^^ 


^ 


v_ 






V /> ■ *: "^ 








CT. «t*~ . .^S: 




■ «• "^ --d « 




«■ 


cm_ 


C *^ ^S^ 




* > V>^ «c 




C_ 


r ^ 


> 4^1. ■«3K. 





c c c<: 



c c<:_ ««KL_ 



< c 

.. < *. 
r < 

re 









. *?'C 









^_^ 


tC c 


M ' ' 


c c 


^ 


" cc 


^M 


E: c < 


^^ 


c: * *^ 





r" <^<^ 


s 


r" c c 




r" cc 



^ ^^ 


cs «• 


•«L ^Cl 


«<' 


<«; ^^■ 


»< 


'tC. ^. 


C<.<: 


<«:_ ^ 


cf.^ 


<«: ^ci 


c . . 


cbl: ^ 




*<sr ^ 


a 


.<£ ^ 


c 


.<i ^ 


cr • 


c<3. < 


^ ■ 


v<:c * 


CI « 


etc < 


c:, ' 


ccc 


^d 






/ 

T II E 



Westflelcl Jubilee: 



A REPORT OF THE 



CELEBRATION AT WESTFIELD, MASS., 

ON THE 

Two HUN^DBEDTII ANNIYERSARY 

-©f t^t 3iuorj)orutioii of the Sofeu, 

OCTOBER G, 18G9, 

AVITII THE 

HISTOKICAL ADDRESS 

OF THE 

Hon. WILLIAM G. BATES, 

AND OTHER 

SPEECHES AND POEMS OF THE OCCASION, 

tUitl) aw C!Vppcnbijf, 

Containing Historical Documents of Local Interest. 




WKSTFIELD, MASS.: 

Cl.AllK \ STOllY, rUlil.ISIIKU.S. 

18 7 0. 



Westfield, January 1, 1870. 
Hon. "\Villia:m. G. Bates : 

Dear Sir, — At a meeting of the Bi-Centcnnial General Committee, 
held November 20, 1869, the following resolves were adopted unani- 
mously, viz.: 

1. Tliat in behalf of tlie town of Westtield, the thanks of this Committee be pre- 
sented to the Hon. William G. Bates, for Lis able and eloquent liistorical address; and 
that he be re<iuested to furnish a copy of the same for publication. 

2. That a Committee of Publication be appointed by this Committee, to prepare for 
the press, and publish the proceedings of the Bi-Ccntennial Celebration, including the 
address of the Hon. "William G. Bates, and such accompanying notes and documents as 
may be of permanent interest and value to the citizens and former residents of "Westfield. 

Voted, That Dr. J. Abbott, Edward B. Gillett and Thomas Kneil constitute the 
Committee of Publication. 

In accordance -with the above, "we have the honor of soliciting a copy 
of your very excellent and able address at the Bi-Centennial Celebra- 
tion, held October 6, 1869, of the incorporation of our ancient and be- 
loved town, for publication. 

We sliall also be pleased, if you can accompany it with such "notes 
and documents " in your possession as " may be of permanent interest 
and value to the citizens and fonner residents of Westfield," and we 
are persuaded it will be your pleasure to present such to tlic public in 
coDuection therewith. 

Yours respectfully, 

JeIIIKL AltltOTT, 

E. B. Gillett, 
T. Knkil. 



Westfield, January 1, 1870. 
HoNS. Jehiel Abbott, Edward B. Gillett and Thomas Kxeil, 
Commillee of Publication^ §'c. ; 

Gentlemen, — The historical address, of which you request a copy for 
publication, is at your disposal, with my thauks for the approbation 
which has been extended to it by my fellow-townsmen, and to yourselves, 
for your kindly expression of it. 

In the preparation of the address, only a part of which could have 
been delivered, with a proper regard for the other exercises of the day, 
a general exploration was made for the discovery of historical facts; 
and, in the investigation, many documents, papers and records were 
brought to light, which were new to me, and which, in my opinion, should 
be collected and preserved for future use. The records of our own 
town are in a dilapidated and- decaying condition, and they need the 
immediate care of a fond antiquary to rescue them from a speedy ob- 
livion. The publication of all the materials which I have gathered, 
which relate to the early incidents, the original settlers, and, in fine, 
the history of the town, would form a large volume; but I cheerfully 
render to you from the collection, what, I trust, will be of a general in- 
terest to our present population, and, still more, to all the former inhab- 
itants of Westfield. 

I am, gentlemen, with respect, &c., your obedient, 

William G. Bates. 



Introduction. 



The liistory of a town consists of facts, ordinarily, so 
scattered and disconnected, as to be sought out and gath- 
ered with great difficulty. In preparing the history Of an 
old town, — one, which was founded within a half century 
of the landing of the Pilgrims, — there is a still greater 
difficulty in the collection of materials, and more uncer- 
tainty as to the accuracy of the facts and conclusions. 
The early records of the older towns were very imper- 
fectly kept; many important facts were but partially 
stated, and "time's decaying fingers" have obliterated 
and removed many irrecoverable fragments from the 
originally too scanty pages. 

In preparing for the celebration of the two hundredth 
anniversary of the incorporation of Wcsttield, much time 
and labor were expended in the examination of the papers 
and records of the town, and of the ancestral town of 
Springfield, A search was also prosecuted among the 
papers, documents and records of Springfield, and those 
deposited in the archives of the commonwealth; and 
some important facts were there obtaiiuil. uliidi arc now 
to the public. 



VI INTRODUCTION. 

Information of a traditionary character, also, was sought 
from some of the old inhabitants ; and many old papers, 
illustrating the early history of the town, were obtained 
from their descendants. It was a matter of deep regret 
to have been informed, that valuable papers for historical 
purposes, had been destroyed, from time to time, as of no 
supposed importance. 

In the opinion of the committee of the town, and, also, 
in that of very many of our citizens, a collection of facts, 
gathered with much labor, and at considerable expense, 
and collected and arranged in a methodical manner for 
future reference, should be embodied in some permanent 
form. Such a volume will constitute an enduring record 
of our early history, for which the future generations of 
those, who are here to live after us, will be thankful to us. 
The celebration itself will be a landmark in the history 
of our ancient town ; and, however humble may be the 
individuals who participated in the celebration, either as 
contributors to the facts, fancy, sentiment, or history, 
which were displayed, or who came merely as visitors 
from distant homes to the old hearth-stone of their race, 
the memorial of their names, connected with the events, 
which transpired upon this eventful historical day, will 
be a record which will be appreciated more and more 
highly, as advancing ages shall enhance the interest of pos- 
terity in the history of their ancestors. 

We can not but have noticed an awakened interest in 
the people of New England, in their genealogical record. 
In the days of the founders of our colonial nation, they 



INTKODUCTION. Vll 

were not solicitous tor tlio details oi its future history. 
Their hands were fully occupied with their present re- 
sponsibilities. Although they never doubted the ultimate 
succefes of the efforts, to which they had consecrated 
themselves, yet "to be, or not to bo," was with them, in- 
dividually, the important question. But, at the present 
day, when their most fanciful imaginings have been more 
than realized, in the wide-spreading extent of our Union, 
and in the well-adapted powers of our Constitutiou, for 
the government of the nation, however widely extended 
may be its territorial boundaries, their early history has 
become invested with a fascinating interest. We would 
gladly know the minute history of those from whom we 
sprang. Their appearance, their dress, their manner of 
life, and their daily thoughts arouse our eager curiosity ; 
and we would rejoice to snatch the most trifling circum- 
stances, connected with them, from oblivion. Along 
with this desire to bring forward, and produce before us, 
the faded pictures of the past, comes the correlative wish, 
to perpetuate the present, for the eye of posterity. This 
desire discloses itself in various manifestations of action. 
When the foundations are laid of some memorial column, 
or an edifice of a public character, and, sometimes even, 
for the purposes of business, a corner-stone is placed with 
imposing ceremonials; and, in a nicely-chiseled chamber, 
are deposited the various specimens of art, science, litera- 
ture and commerce, whicli illustrate tlie characteristics, 
or uses of the age. We have, upon the present occasion, 
a collection of historical facts, which arc interesting to 



Vlll INTRODUCTION. 

US. Of how much higher interest will they be to those 
who will be the future inhabitants of Westfield, in the 
generations which are to come. 

The committee, therefore, requested their chairman to 
arrange and publish the addresses, poems, and other ex- 
ercises in the church, the historical discourse prepared in 
pursuance of the vote of the town, the speeches deliv- 
ered at the public dinner, the documents and letters of 
reply from absent and self-exiled citizens, who traveled 
many hundreds of miles to revive early recollections, and to 
renew youthful friendships, — in short, all the facts and 
proceedings, connected with the celebration, which would 
impart an interest to an occasion, in which so many par- 
ticipated, and which will be remembered by some of them, 
as one of the bright days of their lives. 



Preliniiiiaiy Proceccliii gs. 



For several years, prior to the jx'iu' 18GI), llie at- 
tention of many of the citizens of Westfield had l)een 
called to the subject of celebrating the two hiindrcdili 
anniversary of the incorporation of the town ; and 
there was a general wish, on the part of the people, to 
ena:ao;e in it. It was at times mentioned in the news- 
papers, and the idea was thus communicated to many 
of the natives of the town, who had removed to foreign 
and distant abodes. Many of them seemed to mani- 
fest an interest in the proposed celebration, and 
promised to give their attendance upon the occasion. 
Both these persons, and the present residents, antici- 
pated much pleasure in a proposed ftimily gathering, 
wliicli should bring face to face, those who had ])een 
long separated, and, indeed, those, who were wholly 
strangers to eacli other. 

At last, in tlie month of June, 1860, at the request 
of several of our citizens, an article was inserted in 
a warrant for a town-meeting, to be held on the tliird 
d;iy of July tlien next, to see what measures the town 
would adopt for celebrating the two linndri'dth anni- 
versary of its incorporation. The meeting was held 
accordingly. It was a large, and an intelligent one. 
The subject was discussetl in a free ;ind an earnest 
nuinner, and tlicre w;is. we believe. ;in unanimous 
feeling in f;ivor of the pi-oposed celebnition. There 



10 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

was, of course, a difference of opinion expressed, as 
to the manner of conducting it ; but, upon a full inter- 
change of opinion, the following record expresses the 
result, which was aimed at, with an entire unanimity : 

At a meeting of the inhaLitants, legal voters of the town of West- 
field, holden July 3, 1869, Jehiel Abbott, moderator, it was — 

Voted, That the town celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of 
the incorporation of the town. 

Voted, That a committee of twenty be appointed by the chair, to re- 
port to the town, at an adjourned meeting, some plan for the celebra- 
tion of the two hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the town, 
and report the names of any necessary committees. 

The chair appointed the following named gentlemen, to act as that 
committee, in accordance with the preceding votes : 



Hon. William G. Bates, 
Col. David Moseley, 
Henry J. Bush, 
Silas Root, 
Lucius F. Thayer, 
Maj. George Taylor, 
Lyman Lewis, 



Samuel Fowler, Esq. 
George E. Knapp, 
John Fowler, 
Frederick Fowler, 
Joseph M. Ely, 
Hon. Thomas Kneil, 
David Drake, 



William NoLle, 
John B. Bancroft, 
Dr. James Holland, 
Reuhen Noble, 
Henry B. Lewis, Esq., 
Charles 11. Bush. 



At an adjourned meeting, holden July 17, 1869, it was — 
Voted, to accept and adopt the report of Hon. "William G. Bates, 
chairman, which was as follows : 

REPORT. 

At a meeting of the committee appointed by the town, to consider 
and recommend to the town what measures shall be adopted for the 
celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of 
the town of Westfield, which meeting was held at the office of William 
G. Bates, on the evening of the 9th and 10th of July instant, it was — 

Voted, 1. That in the opinion of this committee, the interest and 
the honor of the town demand, that the two hundredth anniversary of 
the incorporation of the town of Westfield should be celebrated and 
be observed as a holiday, by our present inhabitants, on Wednesday, 
the first day of October nest ; and that those citizens, who have emi- 
grated herefrom to other and distant states, and also their descendants 
and families, — indeed all, who trace their life-blood from this then 
westernmost frontier post of civilization, — be invited to revisit the place of 
their ancestry, and mingle with us here in a most interesting reunion. 



PRELIMINARY PROCEEDINGS. 



11 



Voted, 2. That a committee, consisting of tlio following persons, he 
appointed by the town, whlcli committee shall have authority t(j fill 
vacancies, to appoint sul»-coinniittees in those of their own numbers, or 
of other persons, to arrange and suj)eriiitend tlie order of the celebra- 
tion, and to appoint some suitable person to prepare an historical address : 
to solicit, from the many very eminent citizens, who have heretofore gone 
out from us, personal reminiscences and communications, scatter abroad 
to them an invitation to our hospitalities, and provide the entertainment 
proper for the occasion. 

Voted, .3. That, in addition to the contributions, whicli we arc as- 
sured will be made by hospitable and zealous citizens of the town, to- 
wards the expenses of this interesting jubilee, we recommend, that the 
inhabitants of the town, in their corporate capacity, in aid of individuals, 
authorize their selectmen to draw their orders for such sums as may 
be necessary for defraying the expenses of the same, not exceeding five 
thousand dollars. For thq committee, 

WiLMAM G. Bates, Chairmdii. 



Names of the committee appointed by the adoption of the foregoing 
report : 



William G. Bates, 
Maj. George Taylor, 
Col. Silas Root, 
Capt Frederick Eowler, 
Col. David Moseley, 
Joseph M. Ely, 
Cutler Laflin, 
Reuben Noble, 
George E. Knai)p, 
John B. Bancroft, 
Hon. Thomas Kneil, 
Dr. Jehicl Abbott, 



Dr. James Holland, 
Hon. Edward B. Gillett, 
Henry J. Bush, 
Henry Looniis, 
Horace Ensign, 
Henry Hubbard, 
Frederick Bush, 
Elihu Gaylord, 
Lucius F. Thayer, 
Henry B. Smith, 
Hiram Fowler, 
James C. Greenough, 



Elijah Owen, Jr., 
John Gillett, 
Thomas Cowlcs, 
Samuel Horton, 
Samuel I'owler, 
Lewis R. Norton, 
Darwin L. Gillett, 
Hon. Henry Fuller, 
George Green, 
L. B. Blood, 
Joseph Woolworth. 



Voted,' That the inhabitants of the towns of Southwick, llussell and 
Montg«micry, which formerly constituted portions of the town of West- 
field, be cordially invited to unite with us in making that day memora- 
ble, which is endeared to the citizens of all tho.se towns by so many 
soul-thrilling associations. 

Voted, That the moderator nominate three persons from the com- 
mittee this day appointed, who shall bo a finance committee, to audit 
and approve all bills, incurred in carrying out the proposed celebration, 
antl that the selectmen draw their orders for no bills, unless approved 
by the finance committee, or a majority of the .sime. 



12 



WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 



Cutler Laflin, Col. David Moscley and Eeuben Noble wore chosen 
such finance committee. 

Voted, That the town invite Hon. William G. Bates to deliver the 
address on the occasion of the celebration. 

At an adjourned meeting of the town, holden August 28, 1869, it was 

Voted, To amend the vote whereby the town voted to celebrate the 
two hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the town, on Wednes- 
day, the first day of October next, so that the time shall be fixed to 
Wednesday, the sixth day of October next. 

Voted, To excuse Hon. Henry Fuller from serving on the com- 
mittee on the celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the 
incorporation of the town. 

AViLLiAM n. FooTE, Town Clei-k. 

A true copy of record — Attest, 

William H. Foote, Toion Clerk. 

After the adjournment of the town-meeting, the 
committee held a session, and appointed the following 
sub-committees, to arrange and carry out the parts 
of the general programme. The committes were thus 
constituted : 



COMMITTEE ON TENT AND ENTERTAINMENT. 

Frederick Bush, i L. R. Norton, i Samuel Horton. 

L. F. Thayer, | Henry J. Bush, I 



George Green, 
H. B. Stevens, 

Cutler Laflin, 



William -G. Bates, 
David Moseley, 
James Holland, 

Thomas Kneil, 
H. B. Smith, 



COMMITTEE ON MUSIC. 

I J. Ft. Gladwin, I J. G. Scott, 

I H. M. Miller, I E. B. Smith. 

COMMITTEE ON PRINTING. 

I D. L. Gillett, I J. C. Greenough. 

COMMITTEE ON INVITATIONS. 

E. B. Gillett, 



Joseph M. Ely, 
Samuel Fowler, 



G. L. Lafli 



EXECUTIVE committe;;. 

I Samuel Fowler, i C. K. Sanborn. 



niELlMlXAKY riiOCEEDlNGS. 



i:j 



COMMITTEE ON UECEI'TION OF GUESTS. 



N. T. Leonard, 
JI. Hooker, 
C. A. Jcssup, 



L. 15. Blood, 
D. L. GiUctt, 
George L. Laflin, 

COMMITTEE ON DECORATION. 



J. M. Moseley, 
M. Loomis, 
David Lanibcrton. 



L. F. Tl layer, 
John M. Moseley, 
Andrew Campbell, 2d, 
W. II. Foote, 
W. A. Johnson, 
A. C. Ilixnd, 



Henry Pease, 
Charles F. Fowler, 
G. Knapp, 
E. B. Smith, 
C. I. Snow, 
L. H. Beals, 



Arthur Crane, 
W. II. Atkins, 
Albert N. Brass, 
E. VV. Dickerman, 
Emerson Jessup. 



COMMITTEE TO .\UUANOE THE OUDKR OF PROCESSION AND EXERCISES 
IN TUE CHURCH. 



Cutler Lafliu, 



Thomas Kneil, 



Froderitk Bush. 



COMMITTEE ON SENTIMENTS. 

^ViHianl G. Bates, | Thomas Kneil, I J. W. Dickinson. 

E. B. GiUett, I lAI. B. Whitney, | 



Cutler Laflin, 



COMMITTEE ON FINANCE. 

I Reuben Noble, | David Moseley. 



The I'ollowing gentlemen were appointed ullicers 
^^ tl^c day : president. 

Hon. James Fowler. 

VICE-PRESIDENTS. 

Dr. Jehiel Abbott, 
Dennis Hedges, 
Hon. E. B. Gillett, 
Hon. Thos. Kneil, 
Hon.M. B.Whitney, 
Hiram Vox, 
Hon. David Moseley, 
Henry B. Smith, 
Col Orrin Parks, 
Dr. J. W. Rockwell 
of Southwick, 

MARSHAL. 

Major Fri'tUriLk Bush. 



Maj. George Taylor, 
J. M. Ely, 
Silas Root, 
Thomas Ashley, 
N. T. Leonard, 
Oliver Moseley, 
Franklin Arthur, 
Ambrose Day, 
Elihu Gaylord, 
Samuel Drake, 
Seth Cowles, 



Reuben Noble, 
James Noble, l.st, 
A. B. Whitman, 
F. Fowler, 
Alonzo Allen, 
Elijah Ensign, 
Hiram Owen, 
Roland I'arks of 

Russell. 
Oetalony Moore of 

Montgomery. 



14 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

ASSISTANT MARSHALS. 

Samuel Dow, 1 A. F. Powers, I J. M. Moselcy, 

Andrew Campbell, 1st, | L. B. Walkley, | F. D. Bush. 

TOAST MASTER. 

Hon. Thomas Kneil. 

The committee upon invitations, issued a circular, 
of which the following is a copy, which was also 
printed in the Western Hamjiden Times, and the 
News Letter, the two viUage papers pubhshed in West- 
field, which notices were sent by mail to every known 
fiimily who had formerly lived in Westfield. A re- 
quest was also published, addressed to the inhabitants 
of the town, and the friends of any of them, to 
furnish the committee with any additional names of 
persons, to whom they might wish to have invita- 
tions sent, the intention being to extend the summons 
to every former resident, wherever situated. The fol- 
lowing is a coj^y of the invitation : 

The Second Centennial Anniversary of the incorporation of the 
town occurring during the present year, it has been decided by vote of 
the town, to celebrate the event, and to circulate the notice as widely 
as possible among the former citizens and their descendants. 

All such are cordially invited to meet with us here, on the sixth day 
of October next, and participate in the exercises, with the assurance 
of a hearty welcome, both public and private. Every effort will be ex- 
erted to make the occasion interesting and profitable, and the stay of 
our guests agreeable ; and it is hoped that the gathering of those who 
have wandered to great distances, and have been long separated, will 
warm the heart and quicken the feeling of common interest and union. 

William G. Bates, 
David Moseley, 

James Holland, Committee 

Joseph M. Ely, > on 

Samuel Fowler, Invitations. 

Edw. B. Gillett, 
Westjield, 1869. George L. Laflin, 



rRELnrixARY pnofEEDixrjs. 15 

Editorial notices of tlic meeting appeared in each 
nuinl)er of the papers, invitinji- a general attendance, 
and also re(|uesting information of the names and 
residences of former inhal)itants. 

The following is a copy of the invitation, which was 
sent or given to each guest from abroad: 



m 

Westfleldj Moissoi cMisetls, 

Oclohcr 6tli, I860. 



To 



Your attendance and participation in this Festival is respectfully 
and cordially re([ue.stod. 

The presentation of this note will secure admission to all the 
exercises, including the collation. 

An early reply is especially solicited. 

William G. IJatks, 

Chairman Commiltee on Tiivilatioiis. 

The committee arranged tin' following progrannne 
lor the exercises of tin' occasion, wliich was published 
and widely circidated by bills, ami in ihi' iu'wspaj)ei-s : 

iMi()(ii:AMMi:. 

1. Forty guns will ho fired, and the hells of tlie several churches 
run"; at sunri.se. 



16 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

2. The Procession will form in front of the Woronoeo House at 9^ 
o'clock, A. M., and march up Elm to Franklin Street, thence to Wash- 
ington, tlience to Court, through Court to the church, in the following 
order: 1. Platoon of Police. 2. Cavalcade. 3. Gilmore's Band. 

4. Returned Veteran Corps. 5. Firemen. 6. Town Authorities. 
7. Teachers of Normal and Public Schools. 8. Committee of Ar- 
rangements. 9. Reverend Clergy. 10. President and Orator of the 
Day. 11. Invited Guests. 12. Citizens of other Towns. 13. Citi- 
zens of the Town. 

Maj. F. Bush was Marshal, and Col. L. B. Walkley, 

5. Dow, A. Campbell, 1st, A. F. Powers, J. M. Moseley, 
F. D. Bush, aids to the Marshal. At the church the 
order of exercises was as follows : 

1. Voluntary on the Organ. 

2. Voluntary by the Choir. 

3. Address by the President, Hon. James Fowler. 

4. Invocation by Rev. H. Hopkins. 

5. Reading the Holy Scriptures by Rev. J. H. Mansfield. 
G. Original Hymn by the Choir. 

7. Address of Welcome by Hon. E. B. Gillett. 

8. Reply by J. B. Eldredge, Esq. of Hartford. 

9. Reading of Original Poetry, 

10. Singing by the Choir, "Two Hundred Years Ago." 

11. Oration by Hon. William G. Bates. 

12. Music by the Band. 

13. Prayer by Rev. E. H. Richardson. 

14. Doxology. 

15. Benediction. 

On the Saturday preceding the memorable day, a 
storm of rain commenced, and continued through 
Sunday and Monday. The rivers rose to an unprece- 
dented hight. The levee, on the south side of the 
Great River, was overflowed, and carried away by the 
current, and the water rushed throuo;h the streets and 
gardens in the meadows, northerly of Franklin Street, 
carrying off fences, property, and, in some cases, 



TRKLIMINARY rUOCEEDIXOS. 17 

l)uildinfs, in its terrible inundtitions. Alarm bells 
^vere rung, and the people congregated to rescue 
jyropertt-, secure buildings, and to save life. The 
railroads were partially submerged, and portions of 
them were swept away. The transportation of freights 
and passengers was arrested, and many of those, who 
had signilied their intention to unite with us, and who 
had traveled long distances for the purpose, were 
compelled to stop in their journey hither; and. — 
finding that the means of conveyance were not 
seasonably opened, — to return, disappointed, to their 
homes. 

In very many cases, this was a severe disappoint- 
ment. Persons from '"down East," who had come 
as far as Boston, and from the West, — from west- 
ern New York, from Ohio, from Illinois, and the 
Mississippi, — were thus arrested in their course. 
Some of them retnrned at once to their homes; 
others procured other modes of conveyance, and 
by circuitous roads, arrived during, and after the 
exercises. Some set forth on foot, and with many 
a weary mile of travel, reached town in season; 
and many more waited for the cars, and came when 
the cars came, too late to join their friends in the 
celebration. Arrangements were made, however, for 
a reunion. On the evening of the Cth, an invita- 
tion was extended for a meeting at the house of 
Mr. Bates; and, on the evening of the 7th, the large 
and elegant house of Mr. Lucius F. Thayer was thrown 
open for all the inhabitants of the town, whether of 
the present or the past. 

An unfortunate incident also occurred, in defeating 
the arrangements, in part, for the comfort and })leas- 
ure of the guest>^. We had engaged Cibnorc's Band 



18 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

of Boston, to take part in the exercises; the members 
made an effort to reach their place of engagement, but 
they were compelled to return. A part of the enter- 
tainment for the guests at the table was also engaged 
to be forwarded from Boston and New Haven; but, 
from the same cause, we were disappointed in its 
reception. 

It will readily be supposed, that though the rain, on 
the morning of the Gth, had abated, and the sun shone 
forth with new brilliancy, yet that doubt hung over 
our councils, in reference to the proceedings of the 
day. The committee were hastily convened for an 
ultimate decision; some few persons favored a post- 
ponement to the next, or a future day ; but a little 
consideration determined the conclusion to go for- 
ward; and, although we could not do all that was 
desired for the pleasure of our friends, it was deter- 
mined to do all that we could, to make the occasion a 
pleasant one. Accordingly, at 10 5 o'clock, an hour 
later than the announcement of the programme, 
the procession was formed, and marched to the First 
Congregational Church. The partitioning doors, 
which separated, ordinarily, the auditorium from the 
chapel, were raised, and the whole building was 
closely filled, from front to rear, with an appreciative 
audience. 

The following extracts are taken from the editorial 
account of the cele})ration, published in the Western 
Hampden Times of October 6, 1869, with a few 
verbal alterations, made by the consent of the author : 

In this country where everything is comparatively 
new, where many populous cities were mere hamlets 
a score of years ago, a town two hundred years old 



PKELIMIN'AHY I'ROCEKDINGS. 10 

may be considered to have attained a respectable de- 
gree of antiquity; and it seemed fitting that this 
birtliday of our veneral)le town should be honored 
with nioix' than a })assing mention; that we should 
pause in our activities, and give a retrospective glance 
along the way whence we have come from a precari- 
ous beginning to an assured and growing pros- 
perity ; that we should make this an occasion for 
rekindling our altar-fires, for fanning into new life 
the smouldering embers of old friendships, and for 
the reuniting of sundered ties; an occasion for call- 
imr home the scattered sons and daughters of old 
Westfield, to return and sit once more at their 
mother's feet, and revive the love that once they 
bore her; to forget all bitterness, and meet as in 
a common home, on the level of a common brother- 
hood. 

To this end appropriations were made by the town 
authorities, a committee of arrangements appointed, 
and various measures instituted to render the day 
enjoyable. Cordial letters of invitation were sent to 
all emigrants from Westfield, known to the com- 
mittee, and weeks ago the mustering of the clans 
connuenced. So widely had time dilTused the old 
stock, tliat representatives came from every part of 
the countr\-; from western prairies, southern savan- 
nahs, and even the Pacific States. 

Old men and women, long exiled, came to take the 
last look of the old place; many a young matron, 
who went away a l)ride, came proudly carrying her 
childri'U with her; iu many a hoiisdiold liappy tears 
were shed as the •"boys" came liome, whose feet had 
so long been strangers to tiie threshold; on the street 
were witnessed sudden greetings and hearty hand- 



20 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

shakings, and middle-aged men smoothed out their 
wrinkles and grew young again, as they laughed to- 
gether over their boyish "scrapes," or recounted the 
flirtations of the old Academy days; some, alas, came 
back to green graves and desolate homes, — perhaps, 
to find the very homestead had vanished before the 
march of improvement ; but here, as nowhere else, 
could they "walk in soul" with those gone before, 
and, although they could not but sigh over Time's 
mutations, grateful for the love still left them they 
grow happy in the joy of others. One and all seemed 
imbued with a desire to enjoy to the utmost, this, the 
only centennial anniversary which they would ever 
know. 

Up to Saturday night last, all preparations for the 
jubilee went on successfully; during that night, com- 
menced the unprecedented storm that has desolated 
so large a portion of our beautiful town, leaving in 
place of faultless highways, well-kept gardens and 
trim lawns, gullied roads, broken walks, piled up 
masses of rubbish and pools of foul water. This 
unexpected calamity has carried grief into many 
households, and a gloom has overspread the en- 
tire community; the blow is felt the more keenly 
that it fell in the midst of a general rejoicing 
over family reunions, or a happy expectation of the 
same. 

The preparations for the celebration were in too 
advanced a stage to admit of its postponement ; there- 
fore, while many of the minor details by which 
we had hoped to enliven the entertainment were 
necessarily omitted, the main programme was ad- 
hered to. 

The morning was ushered in by a salvo of artillery 



rUELIMlXAKV I'lKJCEKDlNtiS. " 21 

ami tlic merry clan<j:or of bells, — an aj)propriate wel- 
come to .such u luscious, golden day, one of royal 
October's brightest gifts. 

THE INVINCIBLES. 

At eifjht o'clock the " Invincible Phalanx of An- 
cient and Honorables," headed by the last of the 
aborigines, made their merry march through the 
streets, — some of their costumes faithful copies of those 
of "ye olden time," others of a nondescript and 
ridiculous nature, which brought forth peals of laugh- 
ter from the spectators; their big drum and ear-split- 
ting life furnished a fitting accompaniment to their 
laughable ride. At an early hour, the "green" pre- 
sented an appearance of gayety quite unparalleled in 
Westlield annals. The big tent, with Hying Hags, 
shone conspicuous; membefs of the different com- 
mittees were hurrying about, putting the finishing 
touches to their arrangement^? ; crowds of people from 
the adjoining towns were gathered in bright groups 
upon the sidewalks, and a continuous line of vehicles 
reached far along the principal streets ; nature still 
wore her sunmier green, somewhat the worse for 
wear, it is true, but brightened here and there by a 
scarlet branch, as if to show her sym|tatliy with our 
festivities. 

THE rilOCES.SIOX. 

The company of \'eterans. under couniiand of (.'apt. 
Solomon, now appeared, their bayonets llasliing in 
the sunlight, their tatti'red banners, every rent of 
which rei)resente(l a struggle for freedom, carried a.s 
proudly as when, something more thiln an accessory 
to a gay pageant, they inarched away with imllinch- 



22 WESTFIELD Bl-CENTENNIAL. 

ing bravery, carrying our hopes and prayers with 
them. They took theh^ pLace in the procession, 
which formed at half-past ten, in the following order : 

1. Cavalcade. 

2. Returned Veteran Corps. 

3. Fire Companies. 

4. Town Authorities. 

5. Teachers of Normal and Public Schools. 

6. Committee of Arrangements. 

7. Reverend Clergy. 

8. President and Uratoi- of the Day. 
0. Members of the Press. 

10. Invited Guests. 

1 1 . Citizens from other Towns. 

12. Citizens of this Town. 

EXERCISES AT THE FIRST CHURCH. 

After marching through the principal streets, they 
proceeded to the church, Avhich fair hands had deco- 
rated most beautifully, the altar looking like a great 
tropical flower just bursting into bloom; from the 
marble font rose a gorgeous pyramid of blossoms ; 
festoons of evergreens draped altar and organ, hung 
about the Rev. Edward Taylor's memorial tablet, 
and framed in the portrait of our lamented Dr. 
Davis ; the seasons were tjq^ified by bunches of corn 
and grain hanging on either side of the organ arch. 

After a spirited voluntary upon the organ by Mr. 
Bartlett, and a voluntary sung by a choir of nearly 
fifty voices, the honorable and venerable James Fow- 
ler gave a brief address as President of the Day ; re- 
citing various interesting reminiscences reaching back 
to the year 1800, illustrating and contrasting our fee- 
ble beginning and our present success. Among other 
statistics, he gave the following. In the year 1853, 



Pi;i:iJ.MI\AlIV PROCEKDINGS. 23 

the 1r;iHsj)()rtat ion business to and from the railroad 
was peiionne(] hy one ninn and a sinn:le horse and 
wagon, and now Itetween twenty and thirty horses 
are required I'or tlie like l)usiness of the road. 
The first coal yard estahhshed in Westfield was by 
Mr. Gowdy, in JS57 ; at that time so small was the 
consumption of coal, that in consultation with some 
of the leading men, it was doubted iC he could make 
the business remunerative ; now the consumption of 
coal is four thousand tons annually. 

Rev. H. Hopkins followed with a few appropriate 
words of earnest prayer, the congregation joining in 
repeating the Lord's Prayer. Owing to the illness of 
Mr. Mansfield, the reading of the Scrii)tures devolved 
upon Rev. Perkins K. Clark of Mitteneague, who is 
a native of Westfield. The following original hymn 
was then sung by the congregation : 

" Two centuries shrivel like a scroll," 
Touch'd by consuming fires ; 
And heart to heart, and soul to soul, 
Sons meet tlieir buried sires. 

To-day the reverent pil^^rini hears 

Their sweetly chanted airs ; 
And, echoing througii the vanished years. 

Come back their holy prayers. 

The Triune God, their only King; 

Their law, His stern decree; 
Nor angel on his swiftest wing 

Couhl more obedient be. 

Grateful, on Pisgah's mount we stand, 

I'rond of this natal day; 
lU'liiml, that grand triuiupliant band; 

Beyond, a sun-lit way. 

And, that an age may briglUer sliino, 

Ancl truth our worsliip hold, 
(irant us, oh Goil, that faitli ilivine, 

Wl,irli lun.l.- our fatln-rs bold. 



24 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

So tlie on-ga,tlrriiig age may come, 

At the next century's nod, 
And, in this loved, enchanted home, 

Adore our fathers' God. 

This hjann was the effusion of Mrs. Ellen Barr, a 
daughter of the Hon, Patrick Boise, late a distin- 
guished lawyer of this town. 

The next feature, in the order of exercises, was 
the address of welcome, by Hon. Edward B. Gillett. 
It was full of tender allusion, beautiful imagery and 
cordial greeting. We give the words substantially, 
but they afford a faint idea of that indescribable 
something (which is more effective than any mere 
trick of words, and which is indeed the heart beating 
through the words,) which characterized this speech. 

MR. GILLETT'S ADDRESS OF WELCOME. 

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: — Wherever out in tlie 
broad world the diverging paths of life may lead a man, or to whatever 
returnless distances its uncertain currents may bear him, or however 
long the years that intervene, if he has a heart in his bosom, there is 
always one dear and delightful image pictured upon it, shining bright 
and unfadcd whenever the dusts of time are removed by the gentle 
hand of memory, or washed away by her tears ; and that image is the 
picture of the home of his childhood. There, every spot is consecra- 
ted by some fond memory, by some youthful pastime, some first love, 
or some enduring friendship, or tender sorrow, or religious aspiration or 
reverential feeling ; each bringing its tribute to reconstruct his early 
home ; and to which, in all the sere and later years of life, the true 
heart never ceases to turn, 

As the sun-flower turns on her god when he sets 
The same look which slie turned when he rose. 

The citizens of Westfield now resident here, some of them natives 
and "to the manor born," others persuaded to cast their lot here by 
the invitations of business, or the attractions of a pleasant home, or 
drawn hither and held by gentler bonds, thoughtful of these sentiments, 
and mindful that this year of our Lord is the two hundredth birthday of 
our goodly town, — mindful, too, how this vine which our fathers planted 



rUKJ-nilN'ARY rilOCEEDIXGS. 25 

has "sent f'nrtli its bnirn-lics unto the river, and its l)ou2;hs to tlio sea," 
— helievt'J that tliey sliouUl l)e recreant to every lllial antl fraternal senti- 
ment if they did not on this natal day, call the wandering sons and 
daughters back again to the old homestead, that they and we might 
rescue one day from the homely tenor of conuiion existence, and to- 
gether around the ancient hearth-stone fan the fading embers of old 
and pleasant memories, retrace the paths of earlier years, tell of all the 
pleasant ways in which our Father has led us, and together beneath 
His smile set up three tabernacles, — to the Past, the Present, and the 
Future. 

In pursuance of these considerations, our citizens in town-meeting 
assembled, — that same democratic assemblage in which two hundred 
years ago the legal voters of the town, representing a half score of 
families, settled grave questions of policy and existence, — voted to set 
apart this day as a memorial occasion, and to issue friendly sunuuons 
to all the absent children to be present and join with us in our festive 
joys and memorable honors. And now we are glad to greet so many. 
Most gladly would we have greeted more, but were the number far 
less, the occasion would not be without ample compensations. Scores 
of letters of response from all parts of the country, from the At- 
lantic shore to the Paci6c sea, expressing the grief of those who 
could not be with us to-day, breathe such tender and hearty sym- 
pathy with the occasion, such pride that it is to be worthily 
signalized, such pleasure in not having been forgotten, and assur- 
ances of love, quickened and renewed, pledges of future solicitude 
in all that pertains to the interest of their old home, and regrets 
that they could not unite with us in laying the ti-ophies they have won 
elsewhere, at the feet of their honored mother ; and all so redolent 
of fdial afTt'Ction, that I am sure they will be sedulously preserved 
among the treasures of the town, even as an "alaba.ster box full of 
precious odors." To our absent friends, remembered and beloved, who 
are not " with us" but arc yet " of us," we send cordial greeting. 

To our honored guests, — Fathers and Motiikks, and Brothers 
AND Sisters: in the name and in behalf of my fellow-citizens, I of- 
fer you heartiest salutation ; anil welcome you to our homo and 
yours. Even as though wy haml thrilling with the warm pulses of all, 
was within your haml, I give you homcfelt and heartfelt greeting. 
We are right glad to see you — glad to see so many familiar faces, a.s 
well as .<o many faces, familiar only as they repeat ami perpetuate the 
features of kindred. We welcome yim to all that is comprised in that 
l)cst word of our language, home. 
I 



26 WESTFIELD BI-CEXTENNIAL. 

As you cast filial eyes over the old landscape, you will perceive that 
many places you once knew, you will know no more. But many things 
the hand of man can never change. Mount Tekoa still stands sentinel 
over our quiet valley. Our town is still "beautiful for situation." 
The same environment of blue hills defines our horizon-line of unsur- 
passed beauty. Our valley still nestles in the valley scooped out for it 
by the hand of nature below the sheltering hills, and enfolded by the 
shining arms of two rivers as they bend for mutual embrace. We wel- 
come you to our town, improving, as we believe, in thrift, wealth, en- 
terprise, and in moral and intellectual culture. We point to our schools, 
doing honor even to the commonwealth of Massachusetts ; to our 
school-houses, those light-houses of interior New England, blazing with 
more than Promethian fire ; to our Athenaeum, over whose portals is 
inscribed the name of one munificent donor, and upon whose interior 
walls is suspended the portrait of another loyal son of Westfield, and a 
generous benefactor ; to our churches, which lift their graceful spires, as 
if to point the soul to heaven and draw blessings down ; to our pulpits, 
echoing with the earnest and concordant voices of a ministry, in whose 
presence we exclaim from Sabbath to Sabbath, as you and we did in 
the days of their predecessors revered and beloved : " How beautiful 
upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that 
publisheth salvation." 

We point to our farms and fields, to our places of mercantile, me- 
chanical and manufacturing avocations, all demonstrating that whole- 
some and uniform prosperity which has never been I'etrograde, or station- 
ary. I know that the old Hampshire and Hampden Canal, which forty 
years ago you dreamed would prove to be the enchanter's wand by which 
to transfigure our town into a city, is among the "things that were," 
and its dead body lies among us, "extending full many a rood." But 
the genius of modern enterprise has sounded a resurrection trumpet 
over its grave, and to-day the "iron steed" tramples hourly over the 
very lid of its coflSin ; while above its track, invisible couriers on wings 
of lightning bring us within "electric touch " of our friends all over 
the world. To-day our railroads and telegraphs " box the four points of 
the compass." 

Before leaving our homes you may look npon scenes awakening sad 
memories. In our church-yard and cemetery you will read the record 
of the " loved and lost," but you will also look upon the graves of pat- 
riots and heroes who gave their lives to their country in our great war, 
and bequeathed their memories to us ; and over whose sacred dust, as 
the seasons return, we will scatter the flowers of jrratitude and love. 



rUELIMlXAUY riiOCEEDIXGS. 27 

We point also •with prido to almost two humlrcd living soldiers, who 
attested their willingness, if the country had demanded the sacrifice, 
to lay their hodies l»y the side of their slain comrades in glory. But 
I will no longer indulge in these complacent utterances, although par- 
donable in our family gathering, but will hasten again and again, to 
offor welcome to each and every one. Ye fathers, with hair bathed 
in molten silver — ye mothers, with names dearer and holier than any 
earthly name — ^young men with vigor crowned, and maidens " fairer 
than the light," — one and all, welcome, a thousand times. Welcome ! 

J. B, Eldredge, Esq., responded felicitously as fol- 
lows : 

MR. ELDREDGE'S RESPONSE. 

Mr. Chairman and Citizens of Westfield: — I need hardly say how 
much I regret that the duty of responding to the warm-hearted and 
eloquent welcome of my friend, who represents on this occasion the 
good people of Westfield, has not devolved upon one who could better 
command language fitting the occasion — upon one who had better 
learned the art of expressing in tvords the sentiments and emotions 
that the heart feels. 

It is always pleasant to receive a welcome from friends and neigh- 
bors — to receive the smile and commendation of a mother, even though 
we feel that we have been wayward and disobedient, and have in some 
sense discarded her " xoatch and care." Hence those of us who have 
wandered away from our early home, in whose behalf I speak, are 
especially gratified at the more than generous — the affectionate wel- 
come which your representative has given us — a welcome in keeping with 
the far-famed social and hospitable character of the people of Westfield. 

It is one of the fortunate and happy eras of my life that I am per- 
mitted to be present on this occasion. I rejoice in what my eyes have 
seen and my ears have heard this day, reviving and reproducing as it 
docs, the memories and scenes of my school-boy days which were mostly 
spent in this honored old town. I have never ceased to feci my pulse 
quickened at the mention of the name of Westjield, or to rejoice iu the 
fact that I could be called one of her children. 

Hut in addition to the fact that Westfield is endeared to me by many 
of the tenderest associations of my early life, I love and cherish her 
memory fur many rea.sons personal to myself — for the geniality and so- 
cial worth of her people for at least two generations which I have per- 
sonally knuwn — for the deservedly high character and benign intlucnce 
of her .schools and clinnhcs — .iiid ninn- especially ftir the fact that I 



28 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

have here found the ever-cherished partners of my life-journey, the 
descendants, I may be allowed to say, of the best blood of New Eng- 
land — their ancestors on the mother's side, being the Rev. f^dward 
Taylor, the first settled minister of the town, a tablet to whose mem- 
ory is placed in yonder wall, and on the fatlier's side, such men as the 
Rev. Richard Increase and Cotton Mather — names everywhere hon- 
ored in New England. And in addition to this, I feel that it is not 
improper for me to say that I am peculiarly drawn toward this beauti- 
ful village, of which her citizens may justly be proud, by the fact that 
he with whom I was so many years associated in brotherly friendship 
and love, and whose social worth and personal integrity was an honor 
to the place that gave him birth, did here take so prominent a part and 
lend so willing a hand in founding an institution designed in the gen- 
erations to come to mould the public mind, and in favor of a more gen- 
eral moral and intellectual culture, and to aid in planting deeper the 
seeds of truth and public virtue. 

All these considerations and many others that I will mention, have 
moved me to be present on this occasion, and to participate in the min- 
gled joy and sorrow of tiiis present scene. For I need not tell you 
that this day and these scenes have their shady as well as their sunny 
side. As I walk about the streets of this lovely village, and call to 
mind the names and scenes of other days, I am most solemnly im- 
pressed with the fact that the friends and acquaintances of my youth 
are nearly all gone. I look in vain for a solitary one left of many of 
the prominent families of the town when I was a boy. I look in vain 
for the descendants or representatives of the Farnum femily, the King 
family, the Sheldon family, the Hamilton family, the Mather family, 
the Morgan family and many others. But so it has always been with 
the generations of men. They flourish for a season, and then pass 
away to be no more seen on the earth ! The lesson that we should 
learn from this impressive fact — which comes to us with especial force 
on such an occasion as this — is that the great purpose of life is to be 
faithful to all its duties, and that the daily obligation that rests upon us, 
is to — 

" So live, that wlien the summons comes to join 
The innumerable caravan, that moves 
To that mysterious realm, where each shall take 
His chamber in the silent halls of death, 
Thou go, not like the quarry slave at nii^ht, 
Scourged to his dungeon, but sustained and" soothed 
By an unfaltering trust in Him who came 
To guide thee to immortal joys above." 



ri;Er.nri.NAi;v i'uocekdixgs. 20 

Folio wiiiL,^ the response of Mv. Kldredf^c, was read, 
by ]Mr. L. F. Thayer, the stanzas here inserted, writ- 
ten lor the oceasion, by Miss Fanny Jjuhler 15ates, one 
of the daughters of the orator of the day . 

Wu como, we come, this festal day, to join the joyful throng, 
AV'ho meet to pass the golden hours in mirth an<l hajipy song; 
Away with care ! let every heart with quickened fervor glow ! 
We tread the paths our fathers trod, two hundred years ago ! 

Still rush the restless rivers down to meadows fresh and fair, 

And sing their songs through grove and field, and love to linger there; 

Till, met at last, in gentler mood tlie mingled currents flow; 

But where arc they, who watched their tide, two humlred yearsago ? 

Still rise tlie mountains in their might, from plains that wave around; 
And proud Tekoa lifts her head, with loftiq| honors crowned; 
Still guardian hills encircle round the vale, that sleeps below; 
• But they are gone, who climbed their heights, two hundred yoars ago! 

We come to press, with reverent feet, this memory-hallowed ground, 
Where sleep the great, heroic dead, 'neath many a grassy mound; 
To brush the dust from bygone years, and bid the rccoixl show 
The honored deeds of those, who lived two hundred years ago. 

We come to gather up the links of friendship's severed chain; 
To wander back o'er life's long path, and find our youth again; 
To grasp the hands of early friends, whose life-long faith we know. 
And talk of all our fathers did, two hundred years ago ! 

We come to rest, a few. brief days, within our childhood's home; 

To garner up a precious store, for weary years to come; 

Along the old, familiar streets, to wantler to and fro. 

And think, our fathers walked these ways, two hundred years ago ! 

And they are met with us to-day, although we heed them not ! 
Unseen by any mortal eye, they hover round this spot ! 
No sound of gathering hosts is heard; but yet, we feel, we know, 
Our fathers meet, where first they met, two hundred years ago I 

To Ilim who guides our wandering feet, to walk these pleasant ways, 
And brings ua tt) our home again, we lift a song of praise: 
We bless Ilim for theeo fruitful fields; — that peace and pleqty flow. 
Where spread a traekhvia wilderness, two hundred years ago! 



30 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

We praise Him for our honored dead, who fought the figlit so well; 
Who reared, through toil and anxious care, the homes where now we 

dwell ; 
We bless Him, that He nerved their arm, to vanquish every foe. 
And smiled upon this lovely land, two hundred years ago ! 

The moments speed! relentless time his course will not delay; 
We, too, shall fade and pass away, as dies this autumn day; 
But children of the unborn years, with conscious pride will glow, 
To tell of all their fathers did, two hundred years ago! 

And as the pages of the past, are bright with deeds of fame, — 
As glory crowns the honored dead, and shouts their loud acclaim, — 
So may unfolding days and years recurring tokens show. 
Our fathers builded not in vain, two hundred years ago ! 

The next performance in the order, was the singing 
of responsive hjmi^, entitled " Two Hundred Years 
Ago," and "Two Hundred Years to Come." It was 
a beautiful and effective performance. The hymns' 
themselves were appropriate, and, of course, effective 
by their appositeness; but the interest in them was 
increased by the manner of their rendering, and by 
the harmonious tones of each of the responding choirs. 

It should be known that, in the rear of the pulpit, 
is the place for the church choir, which is in front of 
the organ, filling the arch in the rear of the church, 
the front of the organ being thirty feet. In this 
choir, were placed a part of the singers, who had 
been effectively trained for the exercises ; and in the 
front gallery of the auditorium, was the residue of 
the singers. We remark, in passing, that the sing- 
ers who contributed so highly to the interesting parts 
of the performances, were some of the best singers of 
all the different religious societies of the town, and 
they were assisted by several amateurs, who volun- 
teered their voices "in the service of song," ujjon 
this memorable occasion. 



I'KELIMIXAKV IMlOCEEDINGS. 31 

The several slair/as were responded to, stanza hy 
stanza, by the dillcrent choirs ; and though the 
church was crowded to its fullest extent, we have 
never noticed a more appreciative stillness. Every 
word of the hymns was distinctly enunciated, so that 
the affectinir thoiiirht was impressed upon the heart, 
deepened still further into the soul by the thrilling 
harmony. 

We insert the hymns below, as a part of the his- 
tory of the day. Altliough they were not, as were 
the other performances, home jjroduciioiis, they were 
so incorporated into the grand scheme of the cele- 
bration as to become a part of it ; and those surely, 
Avho heard them in their uttered harmony, will ever 
wish to preserve them as a part of a cherished record. 

TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO. 

Where are the birds that sweetly sang 

Two liundred years ago? 

The flowers that all in beauty sprang 

Two hundred years ago? 

The lip that smiled — the eyes that, wild 

In flashes shone, bright eyes upon, — 

O where, O where are lips and eyes, 

The maiden's smile, the lover's sighs 

That were so long ago, 

O where, O where, that were so long ago ? 

Who peopled all the village streets, 

Two hundred years ago? 

Who filled tlie church with faces meek 

Two hundred years ago? 

The sneering tale of sisters frail. 

The jilot that worked another's hurt, — 

() where, () wiiere are the plots and sneers. 

The poor man's Impes, tin- rich man's fears, 

That were so lung ago, 

O where, O where, that were so long ago? 

Where are the graves where dead men sleeji 
Two hundn-d years ago ; 



32 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

Who, whilst they lived did ofttimes weep 

Two hundred years ago? 

By other men, they knew not then, 

Their lands are tilled, their homes are filled, 

Yet nature, then, was just as gay, 

And bright the sun shone as to-day. 

Two hundred years ago, 

Two hundred years ago, two hundred years ago. 

TWO HUNDRED YEARS TO COME. 

Where, where will be the birds that sing. 

Two hundred years to come ? 

The flowers that now in beauty spring. 

Two hundred years to come? 

The rosy lip, the lofty brow. 

The heart that beats so gaily now, — 

O where will be love's beaming eye, 

Joy's pleasant smile and sorrow's sigh. 

Two hundred years to come ? 

Two hundred years to come? 

Whore, where, where, two hundred years to come? 

Who'll throng for gold this crowded street. 

Two hundred years to come ? 

Who'll tread this church with willing feet, 

Two hundred years to come ? 

Pale, trembling age, and fiery youth. 

And childliood with its heart of truth ; 

The rich, the poor, on land and sea, — 

Where will the mighty millions be, 

Two hundred years to come? 

Two hundred years to come ? 

Where, where, where, two hundred years to come ? 

We all within our graves shall sleep, 

Two hundred years to come. 

No living soul for us will weep. 

Two hundred years to come. 

But other men our lands will till. 

And others, these, our streets will fill, 

While other birds will sing as gay, — 

As bright the sun shine as to-day, — 

Two hundred years to come, 

Two hundred years to come. 

Here, hoi'c, here, two hundred years to come. 



PUELIMIXAnV niOCEEDIXOS. 66 

The oration of Mr. Bates succeeded this heart- 
stirrinp^ porlbnnance. He announced, early in the 
address, in ex])lanation of a want of continuity in it, 
that parts of it, in the diflerent portions, would be omit- 
ted in the deli\ cry. The omissions are supplied in the 
followin<j: pa^ues of it; and many of the documents, 
bearing upon the early history of the town, the names 
and notices of some of the early settlers, the allotment 
of lands to them, and extracts from the records relat- 
ing to the ecclesiastical history, and the proceedings of 
the inhabitants, are inserted in an appendix. 



HISTORICAL ADDRESS 



iiY 



WILLIAM G. BATES 



' Historical Address. 



Fillow-Cidzais of Wcsijidd: — In the name of the in- 
liabitants of this goodly town, I bid you all a cordial 
welconio. Whether you were born within its ancient 
boundaries, and still remain within it, blending all your 
associations with the things, which pertain to its peace, 
its welfare and its honor, and extending and interlacing 
your affections with those, who, with you, compose tliis 
incorporate brotherhood, in the great family of the Union, 
determined here to stand and fight the great battle of life, 
and here to ftdl, and rest from your well-done labors; or, 
whether, having forsaken all other towns or citie?, states 
or territories, and renounced all allegiance unto them, you 
have adopted this, as 3'our earthly home, here to abide, as 
one of its children, and to seek its peace and welfare, as 
long as God in his providence shall continue you here; 
or, whether, seduced by buoyant hopes, and brilliant im- 
aginings of future good, you went out from this liome of 
your nativity, and, with that striking peculiarity, which 
has become a distinctive feature of the Pilgrim character, 
you proceeded to form new settlements, to build up new 
towns, new cities, and new states; to extend the domains 
of civilization into unbroken solitudes, and to make the 
waste places vocal with the music of New England indus- 
try and enterprise; or whether, being the descendants of 
those pioneers in tlie march of improvement, ami moving 
with tln'm, and beyond them, to the then frontier states, 
and thence forward, over the plains, the rivers, and the 
mountains, which look down u[»on the golden shores of 



38 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

the Pacific, in obedience to this kindly, but peremptory 
call of your old mother, you have come back to this her 
gladsome anniversary; or, whether, born in distant lands, 
and under foreign jurisdictions, and renouncing all alle- 
giance to every foreign prince and potentate, you have 
fled from the impositions, the oppressions, and the turbu- 
lence of the old world, to enjoy here, the equal laws, the 
equal powers, and the domestic peace and quiet of our 
own country, — to each one, and to all of you, we extend 
the endearing address of "fellow-citizens," and bid you, 
in the words of the kindly Samoset, the Indian sachem, 
welcome, ivelcome to Westfield ! 

And, truly, upon what more interesting occasion, could 
this vast audience assemble, than upon this anniversary! 
It is but little more than two hundred years, since the first 
white man ever set his foot upon this rich alluvium. It 
is the two hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of 
this town ! It is its two hundredth birthday ! There 
may be future similar anniversaries, as century after cen- 
tury shall roll on their cycles ; but there can be none for 
us, or for our children. When the sun of this day shall 
have gone down, the occasion will be forever gone, and 
more than three generations of men must pass away, before 
those, who are to come after us, and dwell in this "pleas- 
ant and well watered valley," and on these encircling hills, 
can again convene, upon a centennial day, to commemo- 
rate the heroic devotion of those, who here, in a savage 
wilderness, made glad "this city of our God." How pecu- 
liarly fitting then it is, — nay, how strongly do duty, grati- 
tude, filial afi:ection, and the throbbing of patriotic fervor 
go hand in hand with social pleasure, — that all who live 
here, all who have lived here,* and all who trace their life- 
blood to those who formed, or who maintained and de- 
fended, this frontier settlement, — this most distant military 
outpost, on the advancing line of Christian civilization, — 
should step off", for a few days, from the wearisome tread- 
mill of life, should pause awhile, from the engrossing 
whirl of the passing world, should come together from 



mi:, bates' address. 39 

the distant points, where our liomcs have been cast, in 
this vast country, should mingle, with one licart, like 
brothers, around the hearth-stone of our honored [tarent, 
and awaken new recollections of the times, which, in a 
peculiar nuinner, '' tried men's souls." How iitting and 
proper it is, that this anniversary should be celebrated; 
that age and wisdom should honor it; that youth should 
be imbued with the feeling of homage, which is justly 
due to self-sacriticing virtue; that music should swell the 
chorus of gratitude, and that the solemn prayer should as- 
cend to the great Ruler of the Universe, in the spirit of 
those words, which have become the honored motto of 
our commonwealth, that He, who brought the fathers of 
this nation hither, will sustain' and protect those institu- 
tions, which, by them, were planted in His name, and for 
His glory. 

Let us, then, go back to that eventful morning, than 
which none has ever ushered in a more eventful day in 
the world's history, — the 22d day of December,. in the 
year 1G20. 

I do not propose to rehearse the labors, the trials, and 
the sutterings of the Pilgrims. Their characters have 
been painted by three almost more than mortal pencils. 
Choate, Everett and Webster have portrayed the heroism 
of their lives, with a luminousness, which would shine out, 
with distinctive brightness, in the most gorgeous halo of 
the world's elo(pience. Their daily history, also, has re- 
cently been delineated, witli an industry, an impartiality, 
and an al»ility, which will hand down the name of Palfrey 
to succeeding generations, as the historian of Xew Eng- 
land. But there are those remarkable features of the Pil- 
grim life, those distinctive peculiarities, apparently born 
in them, but, probably, called forth by the strength of 
their convictions of what was necessary to be done, in the 
nation-tbrming effort, which they had coiwecrated them- 
selves to make, whicli became a part of their very being; 
and, descending to their successors, have become one of 
the constituent parts of tlie New England character. 



40 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

There are, besides, in the record of their lives, examples 
of bravery, fortitude, courage, devotion, faith and hope, 
all sustained and kept alive by a determined holy pur- 
pose, which has given, to their times, the title of "the 
heroic age of the republic: " and it is proper to refer to 
them, in connection with the history of those, whom we 
have met to honor, as showing, that the founders of this 
town have done no dishonor to the heroes of Plymouth. 

The long and distressful wintry voyage of over three 
months, was approaching its end. The May-Flower, a 
barque of one hundred and eighty tons, hardly of suffi- 
cient size for a coaster upon the shores of a summer sea, 
with its precious freight of one hundred and two souls, 
at last dropped her anchor in the roadstead of Province- 
town, within the unprotected harbor of Cape Cod. 
Driven from their destination by the storms which had 
burst upon them, or led astray by the bad faith of the 
captain of their vessel, they proceeded to explore the 
unknown coast. . Never, since Eneas sought for the site 
of a new empire in Italy, did greater consequences de- 
pend, than those, that hung upon their decision. But, 
it is to be observed, as illustrating the fixedness of their 
purpose, and the great and statesman-like views which 
pervaded their action, that, before they made the harbor, 
or dropped their anchor, they subscribed a written organ- 
ization for the governance of the colony. It commences 
with the solemn phrase, which is usually the beginning 
of a last will and testament — "In the name of God, 
amen !" Reciting, that having undertaken, for the glory 
of God, the advancement of the Christian faith, and the 
honor of their king and country, a voyage to plant the 
fi.rst colony in the northern part of Virginia, they sol- 
emnly and mutually, in the presence of God and one 
another, covenant and combine themselves together into 
a civil body politic, for the better ordering and preserva- 
tion and furtherance of the ends proposed ; and by vir- 
tue thereof, to enact, constitute and frame such just and 
equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices, as 



MU. I'.ATES' ADDRESS. 41 

sIkiII be tliouf^rlit most meet and convenient for tlie col- 
ony ; unto wliicli they each siihscrihed their names, and 
jtromised to it all due submission and obedience. This 
important comj)act was dated on the eleventh of Novem- 
])er, IG'20 ; and, after its execution, the anchor was cast, 
ami preparation was made for the next day's ht)ly rest. 

With the ^[onday of the next week, tlie explorations 
began. They were informed, that Agawam, now Ipswich, 
liad a good harbor and fertile lands ; but, as it was so dis- 
tant, tiiey concluded to fix at Plymouth, their infant col- 
ony. The Ma3'-P''lower, accordingly, cast its anchor in 
the bay; the Tilgrims were conveyed to the shoal-water 
in the jiinnace; and, from thence, the women and chil- 
dren were borne upon the shoulders of men to the icy 
shore, with no shelter to cover them but the leafless 
branches, which waved above them in the stormy winds 
of heaven. 

Tlie next day was their first Sabbath, on the shore of 
Xew England; and, with a more tlian Jewish strictness, 
they observed the command, — "in it, thou shalt uot do 
any work; " but, on the following day, the}' set out to erect 
a rude platform for their cannon, a storehouse of twenty feet 
sipiare, for their provisions, and several rude huts of logs, 
embanked witli snow, for their habitations. Scarcely, liow- 
ever, had they begun to secure themselves a covcrin<j, 
when disease followed close upon the steps of famine, ex- 
posure, and suifering. At one time, only seven of their 
number were able to attend the sick; and, of the forty- 
eight adult males, comprising the colony, twenty-eiglit of 
them were carried out to the hill, and buried, their graves 
being carefull}' leveled, that the savages miglit not ascer- 
tain the diminution of the colony. But, says the historian, 
tiieir "courage and fidelity never gave out. The well car- 
ried out the dead, through the cold and snow, and then 
hastened back from tlie burial, to wait upon the sick; and, 
as the sick bi-gan to recover, they took the jilaces ot those, 
whose strength in the meantime, had been exhausted. 
There was no time, and there was no inclination, to des- 



42 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

pond. The lesson rehearsed at Leyden, was not forgot- 
ten, 'that all great and honorable actions are accompa- 
nied with great difficulties, and must be both enterprised 
and overcome with answerable courages.'" 

At last came on, what, even to such men as they were, 
must have been a day of the sternest trial. They, on 
their election day, had re-elected their governor, John 
Carver, and enacted such laws and ordinances, as they 
"thought behooveful for their present estate and condi- 
tion." They had become, — on the shores of JSTew Eng- 
land, hemmed in by a wilderness populated by savages, on 
the one side, and by a boundless ocean on the other, — a reg- 
ularly-organized commonwealth, under a written consti- 
tution, and with all the requisite forms and appliances of 
a free government. The only tie, the only link which 
connected them with the old world, — with the home from 
which they had departed, — was the small barque, riding 
at anchor in the harbor; and she was about to unfurl her 
sails, to the return-passage, and to leave them alone, on 
that desolate shore, forever. At this distant period, sur- 
rounded by all the comforts and enjoyments of life, and, 
in the midst of that tranquillity, repose and security, which 
alone can render life enjoyable, we can poorly estimate 
the intense strain, which was then brought to bear upon 
the resolution of those devoted men, at this crisis of the 
national life. We can, however, imagine some of the in- 
fluences, by which, their fortitude was tested, as the great 
thought, — whether they were "to be, or not to be," — be- 
came the all-important question of their lives. 

The terrible fact stood out before them, in all its as- 
tounding signilicance of peril, that nearly one-half of their 
colony, including more than one-half of the strong men, 
by whose arras they were to be defended and maintained, 
already slept in their undistinguished graves. But they 
knew, that they had died in a good cause, to which the 
dead and the living had alike been consecrated. 

The picture of present and coming want was before 
them, in the scarcity of provision, and in the absence of 



MR. bates' addkess. 43 

those needed delicacies for tlie sick and the invalid, 
which tliey had consumed during the distemper, which 
liad hrought so many of them to the grave. They feared, 
also, for the recovery of others of their number, especially 
of their estimable governor, who was suifering from the 
fatigue, the anxiety, tiie watchings and tlie famine, which 
he had undergone, — and, from the eflects of which, he soon 
after died ; and they felt, that when their barque should 
hoist its anchor, and " its snow-white sail " should fade 
away fr()m their lingering vision, the last link would be 
dissevered, which connected them witli the humanity of 
the world. 

But, on the other hand, they knew the purposes for 
which tliey came, and they estimated, — they could not 
estimate too highly, — the consequences which hung upon 
their decision. Those great and good men, William 
Brewster, their elder, and Miles Standish, their valiant 
commander,— ^men, who, during the whole course of tlieir 
distem[)cr, had been " the hewers of wood and the draw- 
ers of water," and who, by niglit and by day, had per- 
formed the menial offices, which attend the couch of sick- 
ness, willingly and cheerfully, — were still with them, each 
of them endued with a resolution, an energy and a 
strength, equal to their day. There came also to their 
recollections, the solemn compact, which they had signed 
in the harbor of Cape Cod, binding themselves to each 
other, to establish and perpetuate a civil government, of 
equal laws, where they, and their successors might enjoy 
that inestimable riglit, — the vindication of which had called 
down upon them the persecutions of their government, — 
" freedom to worsliip God I " and, although one-half of 
the number, who put their hands to this iirst free charter 
of liberty, were, in this brief period, entombed in the soil 
of their new home, yet that land, but now consecrated to 
civil and* religious liberty, became therel»y the more en- 
deared to tiiem, by the precious dust of their kindred and 
compatriots, wliich was sleeping there. 

Who can say what bright visions of future glory were 



44 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

opened to their excited imaginations, as they reflected, 
that the very darkness of ttre night might be only a fit- 
ting prelude to a refulgent morning. 

The winter had passed away. " Warm and fair weather " 
had come at length, and the birds, as their record states, 
"sung in the woods most pleasantly." Massasoit had 
become their friend and ally, and Samoset had uttered to 
them his salutation of "welcome Englishmen!" And, 
to their minds thus refined and sublimated by sufliering, 
reminded day by da}' by each succeeding death, and by 
each new throb of anguish, more and more deeply of the 
constraint, which despotism had imposed upon their con- 
sciences, and was striving to perpetuate upon the con- 
sciences of their posterity, it is not to be wondered at, 
that wisdom should assume the character of enthusiasm; 
that the deductions of reason should swell into the in- 
spired convictions of duty ; and that, with the fortitude 
and spirit of daring which attach to those men, in whom 
a sense of right trampled upon, unites with a feeling of 
religious obligation, they should feel amid their hin- 
drances, that trials, sufferings, and even death itself, were 
nothing, except so for as they were obstructions to the 
great scheme, to which God had consecrated them, for the 
evangelization of the world. Is it too improbable, too 
unnatural to be supposed, that the events, which the last 
two centuries have brought forth, should have been fore- 
shadowed to their enthusiasm, in what seemed to them 
as a divine revelation ; that they should have felt, that 
the state which they had planted, the institutions they 
had designed, — and designed too with a political wisdom, 
of which neither the learning of Greece or Rome ever 
dreamed, — " concealed from ages and revealed to them," — 
were to be extended throughout the whole great conti- 
nent; that, from their small cabined settlement, the march 
of civilization was to proceed through the linexplored 
forest, extinguishing the smoke of pagan sacrifice, and 
substituting therefor the worship of the true God; level- 
ing the forests, and letting in the sun upon the sites of 



MH. I'.ATKS' ADDKKSS. 45 

tlionsaiids of futuro towim and cities, all f^lowing with 
the civil and relii^ious libci-ty, which they had estab- 
lishe<l, as man's inaliciiahlc liiitlii-iL;"ht ; and to extend, 
on and on, till the shores of a distant and unknown ocean, 
whitened by the sails of conirnoroc, and studded witli the 
beauty of thriviui^ cities, shoidd be tiie ports of a great 
highway, from which civilization, cliristianity, and the 
blessings of a free government were to embark and [lass 
over to the great continent of the pagan W(»rld. 

The eventful iifth of April, at last, came. The May- 
Flower swung, for the last time, at her moorings, in the bay 
of the first commonwealth of nations. Tliey l)ade adieu to 
the crew, now also reduced to one-half of their number; the 
anchor was hoisted; the sails were spread; and, as their 
brightness faded out, in the eastern horizon, every un- 
daunted J^ilgrim, man, woman and child, was left on the 
inhospitable shore, with little else but their bright hopes, 
— glowing up from their sickness and their solitude, — 
that a grateful posterity would rejoice, in their successful 
labors. 

Between 1G20 and 1G28 a number of eflbrts were made, 
by commercial companies, to establish colonies in New 
England; but the attempts were unsuccessful. l)Ut, in 
ltj29 and 1030, a new colony was established at Massachu- 
setts Bay, by men of the same princi[>les, as were the men 
ot' 1 My mouth, under the lead of Winthrop and his associ- 
ates. ''It is," in the language of the governor, "by a 
mutual consent, through a special over-ruling Providence, 
and a more than ordinary approbation of the churches of 
Christ, to seek out a place of cohabitation and consortship, 
under a due form of government, both civil and ecclesi- 
astical." Their vessel arrived on the twelfth of June, 
1G3U ; and, before the winter set in, they were reciuitcd 
l)y a goodly company, consisting of about one thousand 
of well-ct)nditioned, intelligent persons, 

Such was tiie origin of the I'lymoutli Colony, ajid such 
was that of "the Massachusetts Bay." Such were the 
labors, the dangers and the sacrilicfs. by which were cs- 



46 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

tablished the institutions, under which we live. Such were 
the men, who were our ancestors, and the founders of 
this goodly town. 

" Such time, such toil required the Roman name ; 
Sucli length of labor for so vast a frame." 

This cursory narration of the history of the two leading 
New England colonies, their objects and purposes, the 
character of the colonists, their energy, determination, 
persistence, or, if you please so to call it, obstinacy, — but 
at all events, it was a resolution founded in the obliga- 
tions of conscience, — renders it unnecessary to rehearse 
the details of their proceedings, from 1630 down to the 
era of the settlement and incorporation, which we have 
met to commemorate. It is to be observed, however, that 
there is one feature of their policy, which protrudes itself, 
as a remarkable peculiarity in the history of their coloniz- 
ation. Ordinarily, when emigrants have gone out from 
the parent stock, for colonial purposes, it has been to 
found a settlement for private purposes ; to found a town, 
or, at most, a city. But, this was no part of the Pilgrim 
scheme, except, as it was auxiliary to the great plan of 
forming a nation. They did not land at Plymouth to 
build up Plymouth, as a single town or city; or select 
the small peninsula of Boston, comprising a space of only 
seven hundred and fifty acres, to constitute within its 
limits, the colony of Massachusetts Bay. They came to 
form a state ! Their intention was declared before their 
anchor was dropped on the shore of the new world ; and 
their whole subsequent conduct, conformed to their de- 
clUrations. That great instrument of civil government, 
which was so solemnly subscribed on board the May- 
Flower, and in which they pledged their mutual faith and 
their consciences, before their keel grated upon the sand, 
or a single foot had pressed the unknown shore, referred 
to the colony, then to be established, as the first colony, 
in the process of the work; and, scarcely had they rose 
up from their bed of sickness, when by explorations, and 
visits to distant parts of the wilderness, they took meas- 



Mi:. r>ATi:s' addkkss. 



47 



urcs to plant sooon.l, tl.inl, and nnmerous other settle- 
ments, in all the eliunbic situations, whieli were tlicroalter 
to form, an.l au-ment their -reat prospective nation. 
Ami, after the colony had increased in population, by 
immio-ratiou and natural increase, althougli it consisted 
of not more than ei-l.t thousand persons, besides the 
chief capital, their settlements extended along the shores 
of the bay, in the vicinity, to the north-easterly part ot 
the coast of Massachusetts; to the Kennebec an<l ti e 
renobscot, and even to the mouth of, and to several 
points along, the shores of the Connecticut. 

The enlargement of inhabited territory, proceeded still 
more rapidly in the younger, more wealthy and vigorous 
colony of Massachusetts Bay. Establishing its capital 
in the water-girt peninsula, it sent forth its pioneers to 
every coveted position, to which enterprise could push 
or the lovo of adventure could wander. They rejected 
the use of the word colony, as their governmental title, 
and called themselves a -body politic," a "jurisdiction, 
and hi the end, a -commonwealth." They prescribed 
the necessary regulations of a representative government, 
and divided tiie thirty towns, in the jurisdiction, into 
four counties, which bear the names of four of the east- 
ern counties of the commonwealth; and, when their 
charter was demanded of them, by the government ot 
the parent country, they refused to return it, setting forth, 
thou-h in the form of a petition, yet, in what in foct, is a 
manh' protest, their right to its retention, and, under it, 
to the privileges of self-government. 

And, yet, with all this encroachment upon the d..iMan.^ 
of sava'gcism,— this emigration to isolated nooks and cor- 
ner'* in'ii boundless continent,-thi3 establishment of trad- 
ing posts, and settlements, and towns, at a distance ot three 
wc'eks' travel from the center,-how few inhabitants were 
there that constituted the hive, from which those busy 
peoples went forth I They WiMit forth, not like bees, to 
.rather, and return : but like bees, to swarm. Their pnr- 
i^.ose Nva< t.. build .4. new hives of wealth and comh.rt ; 



48 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

and 80 eager, at times, was this zeal to build np, and propa- 
gate the germs of nationality, — that peculiar institution, 
which constitutes the most preservative feature, in a repre- 
sentative government, a TOWN, — that, in Pljmiouth, the an- 
ticipated evil was guarded against, by a legislative check. 
Why, in the year 1640, the painstaking historian, of whom 
I have spoken, estimated the population of Plymouth at 
3,000, New Haven 2,500, Connecticut 3,000 and Massa- 
chusetts 15,000, making a total of less than 24,000 souls; 
and from that time, for more than a century thereafter, 
the increase of the colonies was only the result of their 
own natural growth. 

Such men, — sons and daughters of Westfield, — such 
men as these, were your ancestors ! Entertaining these 
ideas of civil polity, and impressed and possessed by 
that sentiment of the course of national progress, first to 
settle and establish, then to extend and embrace, and, 
finally, to strike their moving tents, and march onward to 
new enterprise, and more distant possession, the towns 
of Plymouth, Dorchester, and Massachusetts Bay pushed 
forward to Saybrook, to Hartford, and Windsor, and, 
ultimately, to Agawam, now Springfield ; and, with 
scarcely a rest from the toil of travel, they moved onward, 
and rested upon the fertile meadows, and on the beautiful 
hills, and by the swift and bright waters of Woronoco. 

The exact time, or extent of the first settlement here, 
is a matter of considerable doubt. The Rev. Dr. Davis, 
in his brief historical sketch of Westfield, fixes it between 
1658 and 1660, grants having been made in 1658 to 
Thomas Cooper, in 1660 to Dea. Chapman, and in 1661 
to Capt. Pynchon, Robert Ashley, and George Colton. 
He states, that a number of other persons, viz., George 
Phelps, Isaac Phelps, Capt. Cook, W. Cornish, Thomas 
Dewey, J. Noble, David Ashley, John Holyoke, John 
Ponder, and John Ingersol, received a confirmation of 
their grants of real estate, and took up their residence 
here in 1666. Dr. J. G. Holland, who appears to 
have made an extensive examination of the records, fixes 



.MK. IJATKs' ADDKKSS. 10 

the first attempts at settlement about tlie year 1()(j2. I'otli 
tliese authors state the iiiterestiui;^ fact, that tlie lirst child 
horn here, was Ik-njainin Saxton, in li)ti(!, who lived to 
the age of eighty-eight years, and whose descendants are 
now among our present pojinlation. 

Without any direct evidence of the foct, there are cer- 
tain circumstances, which would seem to Justify the belief, 
that the settlements commenced at Woronoco at an ear- 
lier period than 1058, and that they were more consider- 
able, than those authors apprehended, in IGtJG. 

Its local situation, its productive soil, its capacity for 
defense against an Indian foe, the abundance of fish, 
with which both its rivers were stocked, the large num- 
ber of beaver, and other animals, whose furs made this 
place an important point in the commercial tralhc of the 
colony, its well established name, ap[iearing ot'tcii in the 
colonial i*ecords, the establishment of trading-houses, and 
the contests and legislative provisions respecting them, 
and the progressive state of the settlement, at the time of 
its incorporation, — all these facts forbid the belief, that it 
hail just started in its career of being, in the short space 
between IG08, and, more especially 1G06, and the spring 
of IGGO. 

It appears, by tlie colonial records, that, in 1G41, it 
was declared by the General Court, that the peoi»le of 
Connecticut had encroached u[>on the domain of tlic 
Massachusetts Bay, by permitting jiersons of theirs t<i 
establish a trading house "at Woronock." A character- 
istic letter was accordingly sent to them by the court, af- 
firming their rightful jui'isdiction, ex[>ressing their love of 
peaceful means of conciliation and settlement ; but, at the 
same time, affirming, that they intend, by God's help, not 
to suffer what belongs to them, to be taken from them, or 
their [)osterity. 

What would seem to be more convincing, if not con- 
clusive evidence of the earlier occupation, is an entry 
upon the records of Massachusetts, in IGJT, proviiling that 
Woronoco shall be a part of the town of S[tringliel(l, and 



50 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

liable to all charges there, as other parts of the same town, 
•until it shall be thought fit, by the court, to annex it to 
some convenient plantation. It was further provided, as 
follows: " Mr. Pinchin is authorized to make freemen, in 
the town of Springfield, of those that are in covenant, 
and live according to their profession ; and Springfield, 
within twelve months, is to bring in a transcript of their 
land, according to ye law, in that case provided, and 
a true note of the time of all their births, burials and 
marriages." It was, also, ordered, that the trading houses, 
established at "VYoronoco, and all trading houses to be 
erected, shall be contributory to all public and common 
charges, "both in towne and county." 

The controversy, relative to the right of jurisdiction 
over Woronoco, still continued. It was determined, in 
1618 and 1649, that the dividing line of the two colonies 
should be run, in order to settle the question of title to 
Woronoco ; and that Mr. Fenwick, on the part of the col- 
ony of Connecticut, should be present. But he failed to 
appear when it was run ; " and so it was, that Woronoco 
was ordered to Massachusetts ; " " but we shall be ready 
to greet our brethren of Connecticut in a new survey, 
so as they will be at the whole charge, in this, as we 
were in the other, and, withal, produce their patent as we 
have done." Fenwick, before that time had stipuhited, 
that, "if he did not prove to the commissioners that his 
line, by an ancienter patent," "doth take in Woronoak," 
then our line to stand, and trading houses to be subject 
to our orders. As he failed to appear, it is probable, that 
"our friends of Connecticut" had ascertained, that their 
title was defective, as this was the last I have seen of the 
controversy, relative to the title to Woronoco. (Records 
of Massachusetts, vol. 3, pages 131 and 164.) 

A petition was made to the General Court, in 1668, by 
Aaron Cooke, "in the name of the inhabitants of Woro- 
noake;" and "they judged it meete to make such an 
addition of land to the petitioners, as may be to the con- 
tents of six miles square, so as they intrudeth not upon 



MK. JJATEs' ADDKESS. 51 

fitly former grunts to towns or persona." Tlic town of 
Sprlnglield wan authorized to take "the furtherancu of 
the work for a township." This grant was made on the 
condition, tliat a minister sliouhl he settled witliin two 
years, and the inhabitants were granted immunity from 
taxes for the county for three years. (Records of Massa- 
chusetts, vol. 4. p. 405. ) 

At a meeting of the inliabitants of Springfield, on the 
2d of February, 1668, action was taken " uppon ye mo- 
tion of ye inhal)itants at Woronoco." They express their 
wiliinguess to further their desire to be " a township of 
themselves." They hope that "the corte" will "order 
them to be a township ; and that they, through the favor 
of God, may grow up into a comfortable society, and be 
a happy neighborhood to us and our friends and theirs." 
(B. 113, page 193, Town Records in Massachusetts Ar- 
chives.) 

On the 28th of May, 160'J, in pursuance of the former 
proceedings, and especially of the vote of the inhabitants 
of Springfield, the General Court passed an order, which 
I insert in full, in a note hereto, as the act of incorpora- 
tion of the town of Westfield. 

This tract of land, nine miles in length, and of the av- 
erage width of four and one-half miles, was of a size, in- 
BulHcient to accommodate our progressive ancestors. 
There was a mountain on their western frontier, rough, 
])recipitous and stony; and it was judged important for 
the interests of tlie new town, present and prospective, 
that they should have a right of access to it, for building- 
stone, pasturage, and other purposes. In compliance with 
tlieir re(piest, the General Court set off to them that atl- 
ditional territory, which is called the new addition, and 
which now forms the territory of Russell, and i)art of 
Montgomery; and, when the town of Wesllield made 
sale of the new addition lands, they reserved, for the uses 
of the inhabitants of the town, forever, the right of quar- 
rying stone from certain parts of the territory so sold. 

Let us pause here a moment, and contemplate the to- 



52 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

pograpliy of this domain, which was thus set apart for the 
homes of our fathers ! About midway from its north and 
south lines is a natural basin ; and, from it, the river breaks 
through the mountain, that forms the eastern boundary, 
and rushes, at times, in a torrent of foam, into the great 
river of N'ew England. From the point of its disembogue- 
ment, a range of hills, of a hight of about seventy feet, 
curves away from the mountain, like a circle from its tan- 
gent, and encloses withiii its folds, one of the most beauti- 
ful valleys in the whole country. In its length, from north 
to south, it is about three and one-half miles; from east 
to west, about two and one-half miles; and it is sup- 
posed to contain from two thousand five hundred to 
three thousand acres of meadow land. The two rivers, 
rushing down from the abrupt mountains, and entering 
the valley, at its north-western and south-western corners, 
and, uniting about two miles from the eastern border, 
embrace the site of the original town, and the present vil- 
lage, at their confiueuce. Here were situated those early 
trading-houses, which had been the subject of so much 
legislative diplomacy. Plere was erected their log-house 
church, built "barn-fatiou with a bell-coney." Here was 
their fort; here their watch-house, for the service of which, 
every male person in the town, of the age of eighteen 
years, was enrolled, to guard the lives of the sleepers, from 
evening till sunrise; and here were laid out those house- 
lots, where they were to dwell, in watching and danger, 
till at last, advancing prosperity should give to them, and 
their posterity, a quiet and a peaceful home. 

The allotments of lands to the settlers, were similar to 
those in other towns, which were exposed to Indian depre- 
dations; but, as this was the most distant and western 
post, and, from the large number of Indians, who resided 
in the vicinit}', was peculiarly exposed to their hostile at- 
tacks, greater caution against surprise and attack was ex- 
ercised, than was customary in settlements more contigu- 
ous to each other. The principal settlement was made 
near the Little River, at what is now the iron bridge. 



Mil. DATES ADDKESS. Oo 

Tlic old fort was ])uilt of loi^s, over a l:ir<?e cellar, which 
was oonstriR'tod and prepared as a place of rcfiii^c for the 
Moiiicii and non-cond>ata!its, in the hours of warfare. A 
stroni:; palisade, of ahont two miles in circuit, surroundcfl 
the settlement, which was constantly guarded; and, within 
it, were the duellings of the })Cople. Village lots were 
apjtortioned to each hoiiseliolder, in size, according to tiic 
iiundjer of his family, and, perhaps tlie local situation as 
aifecting value; the quantity of land distrihuted being 
from one-half, to tliree-<piarters of an acre, to each mem- 
ber of the family. The number of settlers being so nu- 
merous, and the land absorbed by this allotment being so 
extended, as to menace the security of the settlement, an 
arrangement was made. In' a committee appointed by the 
Cicneral Court, in 1(!77, and subsequently sanctioned by it, 
for a consolidation of the people into a more compact com- 
munity. By this arrangement, the proprietors of town 
lots in Westtield, near "their meeting-house," agreed, by 
a general vote, "to break their lots," and allow other per- 
sons, living more remote, to settle upon tliem, the persons 
so giving up their portions to the new occupants, receiv- 
ing two acres in quantity, of town lots more remote, for 
every acre so relinquished. (Records of Massachusetts, 
vol. 5, p. 238.) 

The site of the church, was tlie recent town-pound, on 
tlie1)ank of the river, near Maj. George Taylor's. The old 
fort stood near the bank of the river, as it then was; but the 
site has been carried away by the shifting encroachments 
of the stream. On the land adjacent, on the south side of 
the road, there are still to be found the remains of old wells, 
which were built for the uses of the early inhabitants. 

The concentration of the settlement into a compact 
body, not in blocks of buildings, but in liouses, situated 
upon small lots of one-half, three-quarters of, or an acre 
each, though suilicient, as a successful measure of defense, 
was yet of a greater, wider and more permanent benefit 
to, and influence upon the settlers themselves, upon their 
posterity, and upon the whole country, to which New Eng- 



54 WESTFIELD BI-CEXTENNIAL. 

land people since have emigrated. It brought the whole 
population into one neighborhood; and thus made them, 
as well in fact, as in words, neighbors. It assembled them 
around the meeting-house and the school-house. It gave 
to them, not only by the proximity, but by the influence of 
example, the stimulus to give their attendance upon the 
means of education and improvement; it deepened the 
social feeling between their families ; identified them with 
each other's interests; softened the roughness of the too 
austere and rigid, and checked the waywardness of the 
impulsive and heedless, by the attrition of antagonistic 
natures; in this w^ay softening and smoothing down the as- 
perities of life, and creating such a unity of feeling, in the 
midst of common objects, common desires and common 
dangers, as to give to each settlement the character of a 
family. 

The effect, also, upon their material prosperity was not 
less salutary. The erection of their houses, each proprie- 
tor's upon his own lot, with its neat white palings, its well- 
kept yard and garden, its fiowers, shrubbery and trees, 
improved, year by year, by the influence of example and 
rivalry, the homes rendered more attractive, and more dear 
by each improvement, and the eifects, also, produced upon 
other villages by this example, have given to a Ncav Eng- 
land village a peculiar beauty, which stands, as a distinc- 
tive mark of its. early origin. No one, who travels over 
the distant parts of our own country, and contrasts the ap- 
pearances of the difl'erent towns, and, sometimes, the dif- 
ferent parts of the same town, will be at a loss to deter- 
mine, by those appearances themselves, the sectional char- 
acter of the inhabitants; at all events, he will know the 
source, from whence they emanated. We have not been 
apt to consider, as models of taste and refinement in archi- 
tecture, or landscape-gardening, the warriors of the bow 
and arrow, the tomahawk and scalping-knife ; but, it would 
seem, that we are indebted, for the rural beaut}', which 
ornaments the hills and valleys of New England, to the 
aborigines of the wilderness. 



MR. bates' addeess. 55 

The earliest parts of the records, both of this town and 
of Springfield, have become so much dilapidated, or have 
been to such a degree destroyed,— and judging from what 
remains of them, they were, in their best estate, too im- 
perfect as a basis of a correct history,— that it is diffi- 
cult to furnish an account, even tolerably accurate, of the 
population, the town officers, the names of the inhabi- 
tants, and other facts, which would be interesting and 
instructive to us, at the present day. 

I find, however, the names of twenty-eight persons 
mentioned, as among the inhabitants of Westfield, at, or 
very soon after the settlement ; the catalogue of which, 
with many other of the statistics, relating to the town, is 
more proper for a note, or insertion in an appendix, than 
for the body of this address. 

It appears that the first mill erected in the town, was 
on the brook, in the easterly part of the town, formerly 
Fowler's, Ensign's, Pease's, and now Stcbbins & Gris- 
■vold's,— the mill at Great River, at an early period called 
VYeller's mill, and now Yeamans', not having been erected 
until long afterwards. 

In 1671, Alquot and Wallump, two sachems of To- 
jassets, presented a petition to the General Court, alleg- 
ing, that Lieut. Cooper had obtained from Amoakisson a 
de'ed of a tract of their own land, and praying for redress. 
The General Court promptly referred the matter to the 
Court at Hampshire, for inquiry and indemnification. 

In 1674, Samuel Loomis was appointed as ensign, and 
in 1676, John Modesley as lieutenant to the " footte " 
company in AVestfield. 

In 1675, the taxes assessed by the General Court, to the 
following towns, were as follows: Springfield, £26, 5s., 5d. ; 
Northampton, <£22, 2s., lU.; Hadley, X18, 10s., M. ; West- 
field, Xll, 16s. ; and Hatfield, X8, 12s. 

In 1679, John Maudesly and Thomas E"oble presented 
a petition to the General Court for the allowance of the 
town returns, which was granted, 

I find the following meniorandum in the papers of my 



56 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

fiither, the late Elijah Bates, and in his handwriting: 
"In 1661, a tract of land, being now the center of West- 
field, was granted to Capt. Pynchon, Robert Ashley, and 
George Colton, on condition of becoming permanent set- 
tlers, by a committee of those settled in Springfield 
which was first settled in 1635. William Pynchon was 
one of the patentees in the colony charter, and removed 
from England in about 1629, The original limits of 
Springfield were twenty-five miles square, — now embrac- 
ing ten incorporated towns." It was made on a loose slip 
of paper, as was his custom, and came to me by accident. 
I have not been able to trace the facts contained in it, to 
their source. 

In the year 1667, one year after, according to Holland, 
its permanent settlement, and two years before its incorpo- 
ration, in accordance with that sentiment, which pervaded 
the policy of the w^hole people, the first settlers proceed- 
ed to make provision for the public worship of God. 
Mr. John Ilolyoke of Springfield, who had become one 
of the settlers at Woronoco, was engaged, temporarily, to 
perform the duties of the pulpit. The church was erected 
on the ground near the house of Major George Taylor. 
Mr. Ilolyoke's services were continued only for a few 
months. He then ceased to lalbor in this vineyard, and 
retired from the ministerial profession. 

Rev. Moses Fiske succeeded Mr. Holyoke, and preached 
here, as a candidate for settlement. He continued here 
from 1668 to 1671, when he left the situation, and was 
finally settled at Quiucy. 

Rev. Edward Taylor, in that 3^ear, commenced his la- 
bors, with a view to a settlement, and continued here 
until his death, June 24, 1728, at the age of eighty-seven 
years. His " table " still stands in the old burying-ground, 
with an inscription, characterizing him as "the aged, the 
venerable, the learned, and the pious pastor," etc. ; and a 
marble slab has been placed in the wall of the First Con- 
gregational Church, with a suitable inscription thereon, 
by one of his descendants. His residence was adjacent 



MR. IJATKS" ADDIIKSS. O? 

to liis church ; and he lived aud died in the house near 
Major (Jeorge Taylor's where the hito Jedediah Taylor 
lived, until his death. His lands, at that point, and in 
other parts of the town, are now owned by his descend- 
ants. Age and its infirmity, at the close of his life, ren- 
dered him unable to perform all the duties of his pastor- 
ate ; and the liev. Nehemiah Bull was ordaine<l, as his 
colleague, in October, 172G. lie was a young man, kept 
a grammar school in the town, preached half the time, 
aud died in 1740, in the fourteenth year of his ministry. 

Mr. Taylor married in 1G74, Elizabeth Fitch, the daugh- 
ter of the Kev. James Fitch, the first clergyman of Nor- 
wich, Connecticut, and she is said to have been a highly 
educated and accomplished lady. One of his love-letters 
to her is extant, among the collections of the Historical 
" Society of that state, a copy of which is published in the 
volume, containing an account of the proceedings of the 
bi-centennial celebration in that city on the 7th and 8th 
of September, ISolK It is there entitled "A Model Love- 
Letter;" and, truly, it deserves the appellation. While 
it difiplays the warmth of his love, and the intensity of 
his devotion, it also develops the character of his mind, 
and the engrossing and absorbing nature of his thoughts. 
I attach a copy of it, as an interesting note, in the Ap- 
pendix. One of his daughters was the mother of Presi- 
dent Stiles of Yale College. He lived with his first wife 
fifteen years, and after her decease he married a second 
time. 

PROPOSAL TO AP.AXDON THE SETTLEMENT '—KING 
I'll I LIP'S WAR. 

It proved to be fortunate for the town, as it was fortu- 
nate, also, for the settlements upon the river, that such a 
man as Mr. Taylor was called hither, lie soon became 
connected with an event, where the interests of this sec- 
tion of the colony became involved', which re«(uired hia 
energy, his talent and his foresight to conduct to a success- 
ful issue. In the year 1075, commenced the King Philip 
war. The other wars of this country, in which so many 



58 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

of our youth have been sent forth to the post of suffering 
and danger, have borne heavily upon the town ; but the 
war which desolated New England, just one century be- 
fore the great revolutionary struggle, was one, not for the 
change in form of government, or for the maintenance 
of charter rights, merely, but a conflict for life itself. . 

Philip was the son of Massasoit, the first friend of the 
colonists, from the time of their landing, until his death 
in 1662. He had been brought up with them in peaceful 
relations ; and, after his accession to the chieftainship of 
his tribe, he continued the amicable treaty arrangements, 
which his father had established. But he was endowed 
with a different character from that of the peaceful old 
chief, from whom he sprung. He had seen the growth 
of the colonies, until the white men in New England, 
equalled the number of the aboriginal inhabitants. He 
saw their advancing superiority ; and, in that advance, he 
foresaw the downfall of the Indian power. One des- 
perate effort must be made to sustain his supremacy. 

With the feeling, doubtless, of the East Indian prince, 
who undertook to drive the English from the plains of 
the Carnatic, he composed his differences with all the 
neighboring tribes, allied his foes to his own people, with 
a common purpose, and then proceeded to visit with fire 
and sword, the settlements of the colonists. Their ad- 
vances and their retreats were marked with desolation and 
death. The industry of the people was at once paralyzed. 
The implements of labor were laid aside, or used only 
in connection with the weapons of warfare. The labors 
of the day were protected by armed men, and strict vigi- 
lance gave to the repose of the night its only security. 

It was in the frontier settlements, that the war was 
especially terrible. Deerfield, Hadley, Northampton, 
Springfield, Westfield and Hartford, were each so widely 
separated, as to be of no assistance to each other in a hos- 
tile attack; and, yet, they were near enough to behold the 
flames of ruin, and to feel the terror and distress, which 
arose from the savage devastation. So impressed with 



MR. IJ.VTES' ADDRESS. 59 

the insecurity of the iMlia1)itaiit3 of tliesc several town.s, 
was the central government at Boston, that they issued a 
letter of advice, which was, in cfFect, an order to the col- 
onists, to desert the settlements, and unite themselves 
with the inhahitants of other towns, for more eiKcicnt 
protection. Their letter of March 20, 1(57G, contains the 
announcement of tlieir purpose, and the letter of the Sec- 
retary of the Council is still more definite. It concludes 
with the following significant intimation : 

"If you people be averse from our advice, we must be 
uecessated to draw ott' our forces from them, for we can 
not spare them, nor supply them with ammunition." As 
showing the spirit of the times, and the courage and reso- 
lution of the men, I append the extract, I have spoken 
of, and the corresponding portion of the report of the 
committee of the town of Westfield, — Isaac Phelps, David 
Ashley, and Josiah DeAvey, as drawn up by the Rev. Ed- 
ward Taj'lor. • 

As will be perceived by the records of the town, the 
orders of the Council were received with a feeling of 
indignation, in which their neighbors of Northampton, 
joined ; and, such was the strength of the opposition, that 
the order was revoked, and thus the most distant and ex- 
posed towns became their ow*!! defenders. 

No organized attack was made upon the town, during 
the war, by the savage foe. It was rather a series of pred- 
atory incursions by scattered parties of the tribes, for the 
sake of plunder and devastation. The buildings of Mr. 
Cornish, Mr. Ambrose Fowler, John Sackett, Walter Lee, 
and others, were consumed, and several persons were shot, 
and carried away captives. On one occasion, Noah Ashley, 
returning from his work at Pochassuc, encountered an In- 
dian near the Bancroft house. Ashley had the draw, and 
the Indian fled; but his blood was traced in the path of 
his escape. The spot has since been called " Indian Plain," 
The operations of husbandry, at this period, were car- 
ried on under the protection of arms. The loaded mus- 
ket stood upon the threshing-floor, and beside the ditcher 



60 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

and the mower; and, when the field was distant, an armed 
sentry was present, to give timely alarm. All night, sen- 
tries kept watch in the turret of the watch-house, and pa- 
trolled the palisades, to guard the sleeping inhabitants from 
savage atrocities. There was, in fact, the realization of 
that terrible pitture, drawn by the graphic pencil of Ames, 
in his celebrated sjDeech upon the British treaty, and which 
classical taste has enrolled among the choicest specimens 
of eloquence. 

It is impossible to contemplate the circumstances, in 
which they were placed, and the unanimously decided and 
manly resolution they adopted, without admiration of their 
courage, their fortitude, and their foreseeing wisdom. We 
are too apt to associate bravery only with the exploits of 
the battle-field. We do not reflect, how much surround- 
ing causes have to do with personal exposure; that often, 
under a greater fear, the coward seems to be courageous 
in the face of danger, and t(j fight, with the desperation of 
a brave man. But, in the case of our fathers, there was 
nothing to sustain them, but their own fortitude, inspired 
by their own high hopes of the future. It was no holiday 
warfare which was impending ! They were not called to 
meet a disciplined army in hostile array, in which those 
who should fall would be embalmed in the records of 
their country, while the survivors would be crowned as 
conquerors, or, at the worst, duly exchanged, as prisoners 
of war. It was, in terrible truth, a war to the knife, and 
the knife to the hilt! The result w^as to be, literally, 
"victory or death ! " not a death by the sword or the ball, 
but by the tomahawk and scalping-knife ; by the " torch 
and burning pine ! " not a death to them only, but a death 
of extermination of all their kindred ! a death so beauti- 
fully described by Campbell, in the language of the sole 
survivor of an Indian ambush : — 

" He left, of all my tribe, 
Nor man, nor child, nor thing of living birth ; 
No ! not the dog that watched my household hearth, 
Escaped that night of blood upon our plains ! 



MK. liATEs' ADDRESS. 61 

All perislied ! — I alone, am left on earth ! 
To whom nor relative, nor blood remains, — 
No ! not a drop that runs in human veins ! " 

Nor, can we fiiil to admire, also, tlie heroism of tliosc, 
who were left almost alone in their homes of precarious 
safety, when the stalwart men of the settlement went 
forth to war. The infirm, and those of immature age, 
were their only defenders. It was for them to jirotect the 
families against a stealthy foe, whose wai-whoop was fol- 
lowed, at once, by tl^e torch and the tomahawk, which, 
too often, awoke, and silenced a whole settlement. They 
were the guardians, who, from the summit of the watch- 
tower, were to watch, and listen through the long days, 
and the longer nights, for the approach of the savage, 
and to patrol, during the same periods, along the poorly- 
constructed palisades. In the meantime, the anxious 
mothers were snatching their broken slumbers, in the em- 
braces of their terrified children, tlieir rest disturbed by 
dreams of danger, and visions of disaster. N"o historian 
of the times has hitherto essayed to describe the agony of 
those, who watched and prayed for the friends, who had 
gone forth to conquer, or to die. The imagination, only, 
can conceive the intensity of their distress. And, when 
the welcome signal of their return was given from the 
watch-tower, and their voices were heaixl advancing 
through the arches of the forest, as the appalling thought 
rose up before them, that some of their husbands were 
sleeping in undistinguished graves, and the mournful 
question was presented to each anxious mother, — ^"Ilas 
my liome been made desolate?" — whose imagination is 
vivid enough to depicture the poignancy of their agony. 

The result justified the wisdom of their decision. The 
war was scarcely ended, before j>rosj)erity dawned ijpon 
the new town. Thrift followed upon their industry. New 
colonists increased their population. Houses were built, 
and lands cultivated at more remote distances. The 
school-house was removed to a more eligible situation. 
The church accommodations became too contracted for 



62 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

the worshipers, and the meeting-house itself too homely 
for the taste of the people. In 1696, it was voted, to build 
a gallery on one side of the meeting-house ; and, in 1697, 
the selectmen were directed to repair, and paint the 
meeting-house, so as " to make it comley and comfortable, 
as speedy as may be," at the expense of the town. 

Beside the mills, already established, in the same year, 
they granted to Thomas Root, Lieutenant Root, ISTathan- 
iel Bancroft, and David Ashley, Jr., liberty to get up a 
grist-mill over the West River, at the place called "the 
Half-Mile Fall." They also became disgusted with the 
old-fashioned mode of collecting the people at worship, 
by the beat of drum, and purchased a bell for the meeting- 
house, at a cost of two hundred acres of laud, in the 
south part of the town, and on the west side of the Sims- 
bury road. 

It seems, that the meeting-house, thus erected, was not 
sufficient for the wants of the increasing town ; and after- 
wards, on the 17th of November, 1719, a meeting was 
called for the purpose of erecting a new one. Considerable 
difficulty was experienced in fixing upon a site; and, at 
last, a committee, consisting of Deacon Nathaniel Munn, 
Lieutenant John Mirick, and Benjamin Lennard of Spring- 
field, were appointed to fix the site. On the 24th of the 
same month, they made their report as follows : 

" Gentlemen seeing God in his providence hath Called us acor- 
ding to your desiers to consider your surcomstances and where may bee 
ye Convenientest place for you to set your meeting-house, our Result is 
on the North-west corner of Capt. Maudsley's lot by the raedow gate. 

Benjamin Lenard, 
Nathaniel Mun, 
John Merick. 
This report was not satisfactory ; and, at the meeting 
of its presentation, another reference of the subject was 
made to Col. Samuel Partridge. He reported, that having, 
with the assistance of Capt. John Ashley, and Lieut. 
Adijah Dewey, viewed the several places, viz., one near 
"the cyder-press," which he judged was too far westerly- 



MR. bates' address. 63 

"for Conviiiiencey of tlie people's meeting at ye present;" 
also, the "nor-wer^t corner of Deacon Root, diseased's lot," 
"wliicli was too near ye dwelling-houses; " also, "the lot 
where old John 8atchet lived, too much to the south end of 
the town, and the old meeting-house, much more; and 
Capt. Maudsley's pasture, too near Samuel Root's harn," — 

" Therefore 1 liave iiiatuerly vewed the knowl on Capt. Mau(lsley'.s 
lot on the North side of ye way hohiiid liis housing Close to yc high- 
way I herely determine to bee the place for erecting and seting up ye 
new meeting-house this I deliver as my positive opinion upon the 
premises. Samuel Pautkiikjk." 

This decision was the final one. An ohjoction was made 
at the next May meeting; but the town confirmed it, and, 
on the sixth day of June, 1720, it was voted, that the rais- 
ing should commence on the eighth day of the same June, 
at two hours by sun, by the beat of drum; and that every 
male citizen of the age of seventeen years should attend, 
day hy day, till the work was done, on pain and penalty 
ofthree shillings per day, without a satisfiictory excuse. 

The meeting-house was paid for by the town, and seats 
were allotted to the inhabitants, according to the dignity 
of the pews. Tlie pews, irearost to the pulpit, were, by 
vote, the first in dignity; and the scale of dignity of the 
inhabitants was compounded of age, and their ratable as- 
sessment on the tax-list,— one year of age, being ecpial to 
two pounds of assessment. Committees, from time to 
time, were appointed "to seat the meeting-house," and 
this was done, sometimes yearly, and, at others, as changes 
in the population required. 

The salary voted, from time to time, for the support of 
the minister, in addition to the generous allotments of 
land, was extremely liberal. Mr. Taylor received at first 
Xf)!), and, subsequently, in 1G8G, it was raised to .£S(>. 
When Mr. Bull was settled, he was given a lot of three 
acres in town, and ten acres in common; and there was 
also allotted to him thirty-six acres in the division of the 
outer commons. His salary, at his settlement was XlOO, 



64 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

with occasional gratuities, at one time of <£10, at another 
of X20, and, at still another time, an allowance of £125 
was given him, to aid in the payment of his debts. His 
desire for an increase of salary, seemed to increase with 
the abundance of the people. In 1734, it was raised to 
£150 ; in 1737 to £180, and, at a subsequent meeting, in 
the same year, £20 was voted him in addition thereto. 
The conduct of Mr. Bull gave great dissatisfaction to the 
town. At a meeting, November 30, 1738, a committee 
was appointed "to discourse with him" on the subject; 
and Thomas Ingersol, Esq., Matthew Noble, John Gunn, 
John Lee, Ensign Mosley, Samuel Kellogg and Nathaniel 
Bancroft were chosen such committee. The following 
vote, which is at least temperate in its terms, is spread 
upon the record : 

" That the Rev. Mr. Bull's conduct, and treatoient of the people 
of this town, is matter of grievance to them." 

It is to be supposed, that, as Mr. Bull died the follow- 
ing year, his offenses were probably, in some measure, 
attributable to his disease. At all events, his salary of 
£240 was voted to him for the next,— which was the 
last, — year of his life. He was graduated at Yale Col- 
lege in 1723. 

I find in the town records, of February 23, 1725-6, the 
following vote, which is of rather doubtful construction : 

" Voted, That the town will ^ive Mr. bull 501b for preaching for a 
year ensuing one half Day Each Sabbath, and to rise proportionally 
according to his preaching, — and after this year is ended to Give Mr. 
bull a Reasonable Salary for his servys in the minestry from year to 
year as Long as he shall Carry on the service aforesaid." 

Inasmuch, as the period of time was fixed by the vote, 
and also the amount of preaching to be "carried on," on 
each day during the time, it might admit of a question, 
whether the proportional advance of pay for the preach- 
ing, was not to depend upon the quality of the sermons, 
and not upon their increased number. 

The Rev. John Ballantine, a graduate of Harvard Col- 



-MK. BATKS' ADDIIESS. 65 

lege, succeeded Mr. Bull, in 1741. The church and the 
inhabitants, having by concurrent votes agreed unani- 
niou.sly tiiereto, Deacon John iShepard was a[»pointed "to 
take the advice of the neighboring ministers, and to re- 
pair to the liev. Mr. Ilolyoke, ]*resident ot Harvard Col- 
lege, and any other reverend gentleman, qualilied to give 
voice and counsil," in reference to a candidate. In ac- 
cordance with his report, a call was given to Mr. Ballan- 
tine. The town voted him i^oOO in a house and home lot, 
purchased of Rev. Mr. JUill, as a settlement, and £200 
in bills of credit, or silver moncj^ as a salary. Mr. Bal- 
lantine died in 1770, in the thirty-lifth year of his ministry. 

Mr. Ballantine was succeeded by Rev. Noah Atwater 
of Hampden, Conn., a graduate of Yale College, in 1774. 
lie was ordained November 21, 1781, and died January 
25, lb02, in the twentieth year of his ministerial service. 
For a few years, he was a tutor in Yale College, and is 
rei>uted to have been an excellent scholar. It is said, that 
he never repeated the same sermon to an audience, and 
always was prepared with his two sermons for the Sabbath, 
on the previous Tuesday evening. lie kept an advance 
supply of twenty sermons. This systematic method in 
his labor, gave him much time for his parochial and social 
calls. It gave liim an opportunity, also, for those scien- 
tific observations, upon the phenomena of nature, which 
he was accustomed to record, and which were placed in 
the hands of the late President Dwight. lie was an early 
riser, always rising before the sun in all parts of the year. 
It is said that he kept up his ac(iuaintance with his classi- 
cal studies, and occasionally instructed young men, in pre- 
paring for college. 

Leaving, for the present, the order of the ecclesiastical 
succession, I revert to the period in the history of the 
town, about the beginning of the last century. A i)ortion 
of the lands of the town, had been distributed as house- 
lots, to the diiferent early proprietors, in (juantities, ac- 
cording to the number of the members of their respective 
families. Equitable distributions of land were also made 
'J 



66 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

to the proprietors, both in the inner and outer commons; 
and contracts for sales were also consummated of large 
tracts of out lands, or lands in the new addition, to vari- 
ous purchasers. In the year 1731, January 10, the divi- 
sional lines were established between the inner and outer 
commons. A strip of land, two miles in width, across 
the northerly end of the township, was set oiF as the 
northern common; and, on the south side of the Little 
River, a line from the mouth of Munn's brook, to Two-Mile 
Brook, and thence to Four-Mile Brook, and thence to East 
Mountain, divided the south common, from the center, or 
inner common. At the town-meeting, on that day, it was 
decided to divide the outer common lands, not sold, among 
the people, and grants to one hundred and seven house- 
holders were made at that time, in quantities, ranging 
from 12 to 515 acres. Without incorporating the list of 
names, I may remark, that the Ashle3^s, Shepards, Mauds- 
leys, Bancrofts, Fowlers, Taylors, Ingersolls, Kelloggs, 
Sackets, Nobles, Roots, Deweys, Taylors and Phelps 
were the largest grantees. 

On the 28th of January, 1733, it was voted to divide 
certain portions of the inner commons. This was to be 
done, in proportion to the lists of the estates of the 
difierent proprietors. The number of persons, to whom 
the lands were so distributed, was one hundred and six. 
At the same time a distribution of small tracts of land of 
five, ten, fifteen and twenty acres was made to twenty- 
three persons, by way of charity. The names of all these 
grantees, the lists of each man's estate, which gave his 
proportion to the land, and the number of acres granted 
in the outer common to each person, will be an interest- 
ing table in an appendix, as an historical document. 

In the year 1724, April 25, Captain John Ashley of 
Westfield, in consideration of his bond "of X460, three 
barrels of sider, and thirty quarts of rum," procured a 
deed to himself, Colonel John Stoddard, Captain Henry 
Dwight, and Captain Luke Hitchcock, a committee of 
the General Court, of land on the Housatonic River, which 



mi;, hates' address. 67 

comprises the present towns of SlielKcld, Great Barring- 
ton, Egremont, Alford, Mount Washington and Boston 
Corner. The deed is signed and sealed hy twenty-one 
sachems, — Conkepot, tlic head, or perhaps the Licutenant- 
General Sachem, the man wliose name tiie Ivonkapot 
liiver still hears, — leading the signatures. Some of the 
names are heautifully cu[>honious ; and one of them, we 
suspect, from his name, — Worenocow, — must liave been 
a former citi/cn, perhaps the sacliem of Woronoco. 

In 1735, John Ashley, Esq., of Westfield, by a like ap- 
poiniment of the General Court, purchased of the In- 
dians a tract of land, from Westtield to Ilousatonic, now 
Sheffield. It w^aa a strip two mtles in width, and twenty- 
six in length ; and there was, at that time, but one house, 
west of the village in which we now live. 

OLD FRENCH WAR. 

This town was not backward in the defense of the coun- 
try, in the old French war, and in the war of the Bevolu- 
tion. It sent forth, upon each occasion, brave officers 
and soldiers, some of whom shed their blood upon the 
field, and others of them returned to the esteem of their 
fellow-citizens. 

Among the victims of the French war, Dr. Israel Ash- 
ley, the son of one of the prominent first settlers of the 
town, deserves an honorable mention. lie was a gradu- 
ate of Yale College in 1731, and a physician of great 
ability. He was a surgeon of a regiment, and died at 
Stillwater, N. Y. Ue was the father of the late Br. Israel 
Ashley, also a graduate of Yale College, who died in 1814. 

Eager Xoble was also in the old French war, enlisting 
at a very early age, and, at its close, removing to the foot 
of the mountain in West I'arish, the first, and for many 
years, a solitary but a laborious tenant of the wilderness. 

TIIE REVOLUTION— GEN. SlIEPARD 

Among the soldiers of the Revolution there stands out 
upon the canvas that honorable, honored. Christian sol- 



68 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

dier, General William Shepard. He was the son of Dea- 
con John Shepard, one of the family which settled in the 
town in 1700. He was born in 1737. At the age of sev- 
enteen, he enlisted as a soldier ; at twenty he was a lieu- 
tenant in the army of Greueral Abercrombie ; and at 
twenty-two, he was one of the captains of General Am- 
herst. During his six years of service in that war, he 
fought in the great battles of the contest; and, when peace 
returned, he laid down his armor, and resumed the imple- 
ments of agriculture. "When the revolutionary struggle 
broke out, he at once repaired to Roxbury, with the com- 
mission of lieutenant-colonel, under the command of 
Washington. He sustained a prominent part in the re- 
treat from Long Island, and was wounded in the action. 
In 1780, with the commission of general, he was attached 
to the army of La Fayette, and remained with it until 
the close of the war. His reputation for bravery was 
established in twenty-two battles, and his sound common- 
sense, and his sympathy for suffering were displayed, not 
only in his ipilitary career, in the revolutionary army, 
and at the head of the forces in this county, in the Shays 
rebellion, but, during the course of a long and useful life. 
With none of the adventitious aids to advancement, 
which usually raise men to posts of dignity, — with but an 
imperfect education and no elocutionary power, — yet his 
strong, active appreciation of the fitness of things, his 
power to — "hit it on the head at the first trial," — his char- 
acter for bravery, uprightness, and intelligence, com- 
mended him to the confidence of the people ; and, as a 
representative of the town, a senator of the county, an 
executive councilor of state, a member of Congress, re- 
peatedly elected, an elector of president of the United 
States at two elections, a commissioner of this state, and 
also of the United States, to negotiate with the Indian 
tribes of the Penobscot, and " The Six Nations," he ful- 
filled the expectations of those, who honored him with 
their confidence. 

One remarkable fact in the life of General Shepard, was, 



>rU. BATKS' ADDRESS. GO 

tliat lie lived and dicil a man of .small jiropcrty. Poverty It- 
self" is not a proof of honesty, of indnstry, or of a deservinfr 
reputation, l)ut, too often, of the want of them. Of him, 
however, it may be said, he was a hard-lal)orini», industrious, 
fruixal man, of no expensive hal)its, either in camp or in hi.'^ 
family ; and yet he was possessed only of a moderate com- 
petency. When we consider how lon<^ he was in the camp 
of Washington — his companion in all his great battles, and 
one of the commanders under Gates, at the capture of Ikir- 
goyne ; how long he was in Congress, and in the commissions 
under the state, and the United States government, in the 
negotiation of Indian treaties; and what opportunities he was 
afforded for the amassment of money, which opportunities he 
spurned, we may well conclude, that the town of Westficld 
furnished one general olHcer, whose example should be held 
up, as a bright example, for other general officers to follow. 

HIS CONDUCT IN THE SHAYS REBELLION. 

At the breaking out of the rebellion of Daniel Shays and 
his fellow-conspirators against the majesty of the laws of his 
country, Gen. Shepard was again called from his retirement. 
It was a fitting place for a man of his bravery, his firmness, 
and his humanity. How beautifully his conduct contrasted 
with the decision and energy of that great captain, who, at a 
period but a little later, was upon the tide, which, taken at 
the Hood, soon bore him on to universal empire. When the 
mob of Paris, in their want and famine, cried for bread, and 
took up arms against the government, the cannon of Napo- 
leon thundered, and order reigned in Paris. Blood flowed, 
power was felt, and submissive suffering waited a constrained 
period, for a new opportunity of redress. 

The spirit which actuated that great captain was policy, 
not feeling! It was a conviction, that a rebellion was to be 
quelled at once, by force, — not by reason. Prance, at that 
time was a despotism ; and in a despotism, the best preventive 
of anarchy, is force. 

But, in the Shays rebellion, the array against the govern- 
ment, however foolish and wicked, was prompted by real suf- 



70 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

fering. The universal people sympathized in the grief, though 
they abhorred the remedy. Gen. Shepard well knew the 
feeling of the people ; he knew what such sufferings meant, 
for he had felt them in his own person ; he knew that the 
rebels had fought with him for the establishment of the gov- 
ernment, and he hoped, by moderation, but by firmness, — the 
exhibition of force, and not by the deathly exercise of it, — to 
disperse the assailants. 

When the crisis at last came, and It was necessary for law 
or for rebellion to triumph, with a kindly regard for the lives 
of the assailants, which they attributed to fear, he sent to 
them a friendly caution ; and, when they still pressed on, with 
their outnumbering squadrons, even then he delayed the 
dreadful catastrophe. First came 

" Cannon to tlie right of them ! 
Cannon to the left of them ! " 

And when they still continued in their obstinacy, and for- 
bearance ceased to be compatible with humanity, then 

" Cannon in the front of them 
Volley'd and thundered ! " 

Happily, his compeers in arms — happily, the government, 
also, tempered their course with mercy. The rebellion was 
quelled, and the great mass of these misguided men became 
quiet, peaceable, patriotic citizens. 

The records of the towm do not afford the means of furnish- 
ing the names of those, who, like Gen. Shepard, went forth to 
war, at the breaking out of the Ee volution. On receiving the 
news of the battle of Lexington, an alarm was given, and a 
company of 70 men, under the command of Capt. Warham 
Parks, Lieut. John Shepard, and Richard Falley, repaired to 
the scene of action. Mr. Russell Dewey, better known by 
the title of Adjutant Dewey, a neighbor of Gen. Shepard, 
was in the army during the war, except for a short time of 
sickness. There was a strong friendship between the two 
men, who lived together as neighbors to a ripe old age. 
Capt. Parks, was afterwards commissioned Major General, 
and died in the year 1800. 



MK. bates' addkess. 71 

Gen. Shcpard died at the age of 80 yearn, In the year 1H\1. 
A larjije cuncour^^e of people attended hi.s funeral. A t^ketcli 
of his life and eharaeter was j^iven in the funeral .><ernion by 
Rev. I(<aac Knapp, and hy the Rev. Dr. Davis, in hi.s historical 
skcteh of the town of Westlicld. Dr. J. (i. Holland, and a 
recent writer in 'The Thnes, a Westfield newt<paper, have de- 
lineated some of the leading incidents of his life. Upon his 
retirement from the army, he connected himself with the 
churcii, and held the office of deacon therein, for a period of 
twenty-eight years. 

We now resume our notices of the ecclesiastical history of 
the town. After the death of Mr. Atwater, the Rev. Isaac 
Knajip of Norfolk, Conn., a graduate of Williams College, 
of 1800, who, for two years, in 1802, and 1803, was a tutor 
in that institution, was ordained, as a pastor, November 10, 
1803. In the year 1835, in consequence of his failing health, 
the Rev. Emerson Davis was ordained as his colleague. Mr. 
Knapp died at the age of 73 years, in 18-17. 

The administration of Mr. Knapp was remarkably quiet 
and peaceful. He was a man of no sharp points, cither of 
character or doctrine. Never, in society, or from the pulpit, 
did he utter anything to offend the feelings of his people, 
or to array the slightest element of opposition to himself. 
Unlike most clergymen, he extended his observations from the 
studies of his profession, to the world around him. He was 
a shrewd judge, both of men and of things. He knew the 
wants of his people ; he appreciated the interests of the com- 
munity ; and few men were more ready to afford more valu- 
able suggestions. A council to settle a difficulty, between 
him and his peo[)le, was unthought of! There could be no 
ditiieulty ; and, if a difficulty were to be ap{)rchended, the oil 
would be poured upon the waters, in anticipation, before the 
slightest breeze stirred. 

^Mr. Davis was a native of Ware. He, too, was a gradu- 
ate of Williams College, and was of the class of 1821. At 
his graduatiiin, he became the usher, and then the prcce[)tor 
of \\'estticld Academy. During the year l.*^-;'», he was ap- 
pointed a tutor in Williams College; but, in 182-1, he be- 



72 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

came the permanent preceptor, where he remained, until his 
settlement, in 1835, as the colleague of Mr. Knapp. He con- 
tinued to officiate, as the pastor, until his sudden decease, June 
8, 186G, from a disease of the heart. He was a large, strong 
man, of active and temperate habits, an early riser, one who 
spent much time in the open air, and who traveled, from fam- 
ily to family, over the widely extended range of his large 
congregation. During his whole residence here, Dr. Davis 
took a deep interest in the cause of education. He was ap- 
pointed, at its organization, as one of the members of the 
Board ; and, until his death, he labored for the interest of the 
cause, as though he had still continued a member. He was 
an extensive scholar. He had a habit of picking up, and 
recording facts, which few men have the taste, or the indus- 
try to do; and, during his ministerial labors, his sermon was 
often the medium of exhibiting philosophical facts, as illus- 
trating biblical and evangelical truth. 

Dr. Davis was eminently a kindly and social man. He 
mingled extensively in society, was well acquainted, not only 
with his parishioners, but with the people of the town. He 
was a partaker both of their joys and sorrows, and was al- 
ways ready to lend a helping hand in distress, difficulty, or 
danger. He was, in deed and in name, a friend ; and when 
his sudden death struck upon the ear of the people of the 
town, each one felt that he had lost a friend. A large con- 
course convened at his funeral, and the impressive ceremonies 
of such a solemnity, were deepened by the regrets, which 
seemed to hang, like a pall, upon every heart. 

The successor of Dr. Davis was the Kev. Elias H. Eich- 
ardson. He was installed on the first day of May, A. D. 
1867. There is an implied contract between the society and 
the pastor, arising from an immemorial usage, as to the du- 
ration of the settlement, which is considered as imperatively 
binding upon the parties. Since the settlement of the first 
pastor, the Rev. Mr. Taylor, every one of all the successive 
pastors have devoted their lives to the duties of the office. 
Here they were settled; here they labored; and here they 
rested from their labors ; nor have I discovered in the rec- 



mi:, bates' adduess. 73 

onls, cxcc[U in the nervous hirj^linn; of Mr. Bull, in relation 
to hit) salary, a trace of controversy between [)a.stor and 
people. 

Of Dr. Davis it its worthy of record, that, in more than one 
instance, he has intimated to the parish, his wish, that the 
amount of his salary should be reduced. We can imagine 
cases, where exorbitant contributions embarrass the popular 
preachers in the trouble of investments. But his salary was 
small. His hospitalities were abounding ; and though his 
habits of life were frugal, yet his taste frequently led him 
into somewhat lavish appropriations. All he wished his peo- 
ple to provide for him, was a respectable support; and any 
excess of such necessity, he was anxious to refund to them. 
No wonder that such a pastor was beloved by his people ! 
And no wonder that he was more than "a popular preach- 
er," — a popular man ! 

In the year 185(1, the large number of members of the so- 
ciety, and the comparatively small size of the meeting-house, 
induced the majority of the society to agree to colonize. 
INIcasures were accordinjrly taken to form a second Con<Treira- 
tional society, and church, in connection with it, which was 
an offshoot from the parent stock. For a time, the new so- 
ciety worshiped in, what is now called, Music Hall; but the 
desire of possessing a permanent and exclusive place of wor- 
ship, induced them to erect their beautiful church edifice. 
Parochial societies, like individuals, or like other corporations, 
are stimulated by rivalry ; and the parent society soon found, 
that a meeting-house, which was thought by some, large 
enough and good enough for the whole congregation, was too 
small, and too poor for it, after the exodus of the colony. Ac- 
cordingly, a new etTurt was put forth; and, side by side, two 
large and commodious church edifices arose, differing in form, 
but beautiful in their adaptations, an honor to each society, 
and to the town itself. 

The Second Congregational society, has been fruitful in the 

number of its religious teachers. The Kcv. Francis Homes 

was obtained, at the time of its organization in May, 18.3G, 

and continued with it for a period of about one year. The 

10 



74 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

Eev. Joel H. Bingham was its first pastor, installed in June, 
185T ; and after a period of six years he was dismissed, and 
removed to East Boston. 

The Rev. George Bowler succeeded Mr. Bingham, as the 
pastor. He had been, for several years, a clergyman of the 
Methodist church ; but he was examined, and accepted the 
call of the Second Congregational society, and was settled in 
April, 1863. During a portion of the war, he held a com- 
mission of colonel in the service ; and, after his dismission, in 
February, 1865, he removed to the eastern part of the state, 
and resumed his connection with the Methodist denomination, 
in which he continued, until his recent decease. 

For the space of a year or more, the society was without 
the services of a settled pastor. They made repeated experi- 
ments, but no one seemed to come up to the general accepta- 
tion. At last, by general consent, they extended a call to 
Eev. Henry Hopkins, who accepted it, was ordained, and 
from June, 1866 until the present time, has continued to be 
their pastor. 

The Baptist society was organized, and a church formed 
as early as 1784. They had two church buildings ; one in the 
north part of the town, near Montgomery, and one near the 
Little Eiver, or Fort Eiver, as it is sometimes called in the 
records. The latter building was sold, and a commodious 
church was erected on Elm street. Eecently this building, 
also, has been sold, and a spacious and beautiful edifice has 
been erected on Elm street, at a cost of 132,000, including 
the site. The pastors of this church have been Eevs. Adam 
Hamilton, Azariah Hawks, Caleb Green, David Wright, 
Andrew M. Smith, T. Bestor, A. Colburn, Charles Van 
Loon, William Carpenter, J. E. Baumis, John Jennings and 
E. Jerome, the present pastor. 

The Methodist society, consisted, until a recent period, of 
but few members. Their numbers, however, have rapidly 
increased. The church, which they erected on Main street, 
became too small for their wants, and they now worship in a 
laroje and commodious buildino; on the north-west corner of 
"the green." Its present pastor is the Eev. John H. Mans- 



MR. BATES ADDRESS. 7 -J 

field. Recently it has purchaseil a parsonage, for the use of 
its pastor. 

There is also a small society of the order, at We.^l 
Parish, under the charge of Kev. Samuel McLaughlin. They 
have a small, but commodious church and parsouaj^e, and, like 
the central society, it is extendinj^ its numbers and usefulness. 

As the system of that society is to make annual, thouuh, 
at times biennial chanfjcs of their pastors, the number that 
have officiated in the jNIethodist church here, is somewhat 
numerous. While it belonged to the Granville circuit, 
it was in charge of Elder G. Roberts, Joshua Taylor and 
T. Dewey, circuit preachers. It was then located at 
AVest Parish, or IIoop-polc, as that district was then called. 
The society in the village was organized in 1812, and the 
pastors in charge, have been successively Kev. P. Townscnd, 
W. Smith, B. McLouth, J. Ilascall, Mark Trafton, II. V. 
Degen, M. Raymond, G. F. Cox, J. II. Twombly, Dr. Wil- 
liam Butler, Mark Trafton a second time, Daniel E. Chapin, 
George W. Bowler, II. W. Warren, Daniel Richar<ls, W. 
G. Lewis and its present pastor. 

Like the First Congregational society the town has als(» 
been shorn of its original proportions. Sanmel Fowler, who, 
with his brothers John and Ambrose, were among the first 
settlers of the town, settled in the south part of it, at a [)laco 
then called Poverty. The plain on the north of their settle- 
ment, is still called " Poverty Plain." Benjamin Loomis, 
and Mr. Olds settled in the westerly part of the town, and 
families of the name of Moore, in the extreme south part, 
which was then called Moore-town. In 1779, the south 
part of our territory was incorporated into a town, by the 
name of Southwick. A meeting-house was erected, soon 
after the incorporation, a mile south of the village ; and 
upon its being burned in 1823, a new and conunodious edi- 
fice was erected, in 1824. The Rev. Abel Forward t)f Sim?- 
bury, a gra<luate of Yale College, in 17<I8, was onlained 
October 27, 1773, and died in 1781). He was the father ot 
the late Joseph Forward, Ksij., and has left there a numerous 
posterity. 



76 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

Montgomery was, also, in part, constructed from the orig- 
inal territory of Westfield. It was taken from that portion 
of the new addition, which is situated on the north-easterly 
side of the Westfield River. The date of its incorporation, as 
a town, is November 28, 1780. A church was organized, Jan- 
uary 30, 1797, under the pastoral charge of Rev. Seth Noble, 
a son of Thomas Noble, of Westfield. He was installed No- 
vember 4, 1801, and dismissed September 16, 1806. He was 
not a man of a liberal education, but was a man of talent. It 
is related of him, that he was residing in the town, which is 
now the city of Bangor, at the time of its incorporation ; and, 
at the request of his parishioners, he went to Boston, to pro- 
cure the act. The petitioners desired, that the name of 
"Sunfield" should be applied to it; but the reverend gentle- 
man was particularly fond of the old tune, " Bangor ; " and 
he caused Sunfield to be struck out of the act, and Bangor 
inserted, as commemorating two objects of his love, — his 
music, and his devotion. 

Montgomery is situated wholly upon the mountain. The 
land is rough and broken, and adapted chiefly to the pursuits 
of agriculture. Like the other agricultural towns, in Mas- 
sachusetts, which are situated at a distance from a home 
market, its population is gradually decreasing. Many of its 
inhabitants have emigrated to distant states, and some of 
them are now residing here. 

Russell was incorporated February 25, 1792. Its territory 
consisted of that part of the "new addition," of the town of 
Westfield, which lies on the westerly side of the Westfield 
River. The population of the town has been, also, on the 
decline. But, still, its water-power, its proximity to the rail- 
road, and the abundance of its wood and timber, have con- 
tributed to increase its amount of property, notwithstanding 
the decrease of its population. 

Nothing more highly marks the high state of moral feeling, 
among the early settlers of the town, than the provisions that 
were made for the moral and religious improvement of the 
people. The early "calls" that were made to the clergy, the 
immediate supply of a successor, when death removed an in- 



mi;. 1!\tks addi;i;ss. * < 

cumhont, and the llhonil salaries, wliioli were paid to tlieiii, 
in those days of lal)or, privation and poverty, were in the 
highest degree to tlicir honor. 

The piihlic scliool was maintained l)y annual appropriations, 
for all the children of the town, between four and four- 
teen years. It was kept by a man, except that liberty 
was given to establish a school in the eastern part of the 
town, to be kept by a female teacher, for those children, whose 
immature age prevented their travel to the town school, and 
a sum was allowed for the expenses. The salary of the 
teacher varied from £,'^>S to €50 per annum, and the school 
was kept six months during the year, the instructor being usu- 
ally competent to instruct in the *lead languages. The first 
school in the town, kept by a female, was under the charge 
of Widow Catherine Xoble, at thirty-five shillings per week. 
Mr. Isaac Phelps, one of the first settlers of the town, and 
frequently its town officer, was a frequent teacher of the 
school, and was also the Rev. Mr. Bull. 

WKSTFIKLD ACADEMY. 

In the latter part of the last century, the attention of the 
people was directed to the establishment of an academical in- 
stitution. With a commendable promptness, the town voted 
a sum of l!<'iOO, or 82,000, towards its endowment; and on 
the ITth of June, IT'.'o, an act was passed, incor[)orating (/ien. 
William Shepard and others, as the Trustees of Westfield 
Academy, "to be and continue a body politic, by the same 
name, forever." The friends of the new institution contem- 
plated, an<l so did the Legislature, that the funds were to be 
increased, as a means of future usefulness; for the act pro- 
vided, that the trustees might hold lands, or other estate, to 
such an amount, that the annual income should not exceed 
«2,000. 

It appears, also, by the records of the trustees, that a sum. 
exceeding '?l,O00 was also subscribed, and secured to the in- 
stitution, in 1707, by citizens of the town. In response to a 
i)etitioii of the trustees, the Leijislature ijranted them a half 
township ot I:uiil In Mnliu'. winch was coiivortiMl iiiti» tlio funds. 



78 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

On the 1st day of January, 1800, the academy building, 
erected at a cost of 85,000, was dedicated by religious observ- 
ances ; a sermon was preached by the Rev. Dr. Lathrop ; 
an address was delivered by the Hon. Samuel Fowler; and 
a formal presentation of the key of the building was made by 
him to Mr. Peter Starr, the first preceptor. 

It would be a pleasing retrospect, if we were to pass over 
the first two-thirds of the present century, and record the 
names of those, at whose feet, from time to time, we have sat 
for guidance and instruction : if we were to recall those early 
companions, with whom we strayed, and played, and perhaps 
toiled along the paths of learning — companions dear to us 
then, — of whom we felt, " very pleasant hast thou been to me, 
my brother," — but oh how doubly dear now, as one by one 
they have faded from our sight, leaving us more and more 
alone, like a city, which sits solitary, and yet is full of people 
— in the world but not of it, among men yet not of them, and 
sighing for the unselfish friendship of those, who made our 
young hours happy : if we were to estimate the effect, which 
the establishment of the institution has wrought upon the 
material interests of the town, its moral influence upon the 
people, and the heightened tone it has given to its intelligence, 
and its virtue: if we were to consider, what a result has been 
produced upon the world at large, by more than nine thous- 
and people, who have gone out from it, to all parts of the 
civilized globe. But the topic is too vast for the occasion. 
I may say, however, in regard to it, as a part of the history 
of the town, that the proximity of other institutions, endowed 
by enlightened liberality, with ample funds, enabling them to 
provide more numerous teachers, more extensive apparatus, 
Stnd more commodious boarding accommodations, inaugurated 
a rivalry, against which, this almost un-endowed institution 
could poorly struggle. The buildings and grounds, which had 
come down to us, were accordingly sold. The estate of the 
academy is invested for increase, until, by accumulation, aug- 
mented, as I trust it will be, by future benefactions, it shall 
again spring forward into a field of usefulness. My fellow- 
citizens, I say now, in as full faith as I said to you on the 31st 



Mli. BATES ADDRESS. 7U 

(lay of July, 18'>7 — ''WcstfieUl Academy will never die! 
It was born to be immortal I It was incorjx^rated to be, and 
continue a body politic forever!^'' and if this generation shall 
pass away, with a deluded apathy to its interests, it will find, 
in a generation, perha[)s now unborn, friends, who will rally 
around it, with the zeal of its first founders, and rejoice with 
exceedingly great joy, in its returned prosperity. 

I cannot refrain from enrolling in the text, the munificence 
of two of our citizens who have passed away from us, and 
wdio have left names, which are destined to live in succeeding 
generations. 

Samuel Mather was born in AVestfield. lie was the son 
of Capt. John Mather, and his wife Sophia, a descendant of 
the licv. Edward Taylor. His father was the son of Samuel 
]\Iuther, a physician, and formerly one of the associate 
judges of the old local Court of Common Pleas. 

After the decease of his parents, he removed to Hartford, 
and resided with his sister Cynthia, the wife of the lion. 
John B, Eldredge. lie had been a hard-laboring, thrifty 
farmer. lie had added to his patrimony by his own accumu- 
lations, and was in those easy circumstances, where he was 
removed from the necessity of laborious exertion. During 
his early life, he had felt the want of a good library ; and, 
with a taste for substantial reading, he became a frecjuent 
visitor to that noble institution, for which the city of Hart- 
ford is indebted to the liberality of Wadsworth. Although 
removed from the town of Wcstfield, his heart was still here ! 
and he conceived the design of aiding in the formation of a 
public library in Westfield. In furtherance of his suggestion, 
an act was passed, incorporating '• the AVestfield Athe- 
naeum." The corporation was organized, and immediately 
he paid over to the treasurer thereof, ten government bonds, 
of one thousand dollars each, amounting to about •'*<11,000. 

Inspired by a similar feeling, Hiram Harrison, also a native 
of this town, determined to co-operate with Mr. Mather, in 
his great object. He too had been brought up, with but 
limited advantages. Notwithstanding that he had, by his 
talent for business, and the assiduous application of all his 



80 WESTFIELD Br-CENTENNIAL. 

energies to an extensive and complicated business, accumu- 
lated more than a sufficient competence, he still felt the want 
of that mental culture, which is necessary to form the char- 
acter of a complete man ; and he determined to aid in the 
provision for the education of the people, in useful science, 
and elegant literature. For this purpose, he purchased the 
land, and erected the building, which now stands on the 
north-east corner of the public square, and which he con- 
veyed by deed to the proprietors of the Westfield Athe- 
naeum in fee. The cost of the land and building was 
about 111,000. 

The intent of Mr. Harrison was to provide a place for the 
reception of books, and a place, also, for receiving the publi- 
cations, that should be placed therein. It was the design of 
Mr. Mather to ensure the keeping that place open for read- 
ing and the use of books, and of having it, on each day in 
the year, warmed and lighted, for the accommodation of the 
people. Accordingly, he provided, that the principal sum of 
$10,000, should be left entire ; and the interest only should 
be devoted, first to the warming and lighting of the rooms, 
and for the salary of the librarian ; and then any remain- 
der might be appropriated to the general uses of the Institu- 
tion. 

The people of the town, for the most part, showed, by 
their conduct, their appreciation of these benefactions for 
them, and their posterity ; and a subscription was made up 
to the amount of $10,000 for the purchase of books, maps, 
magazines, and the periodicals and newspapers of the day. 

Some of the old residents of the town, who have been 
prospered in their own places of residence, at a distance from 
their old home, have yet remembered the embarrassments of 
their youth, and have sent back their benefactions to aid the 
future men and women of this country. In their pursuit of 
learning. The names of the donors are enrolled in the rec- 
ords of the institution, there to remain, as perpetual memo- 
rials of Individual enlightenment and individual liberality. 

The catalogue of our benefactors to the contributions of 
science, would be incomplete without the addition of another 



MU. iJ.\ii-:>' .\i)i)i;i>>. 81 

luunc, which, also, will be lichl in the atlectiunatc reiueiii- 
brance ut future <^eneratioiKs. Mr. Stephen IIarris(jii, an 
elder brother of Mr, Ilirani IIarrit?on, was born and bred in 
the town, and had acvjuired a competency, by his Hystcniatic 
aj^ricultural labor, lie had t^een the advances that scientific 
experiment had given to manutiicturing industry ; that the 
elements had been called in, as the substitutes of human 
strenf^th ; and as he contemplated the numerous applications 
of the truths of science, to almost every object around him, 
and reflected, that but a small {)rogress had been made in that 
science, which is the art of all arts, he felt a natural desire, 
that the revelations of matured learning, should be infused 
into common knowledge, and that mind should be made to 
direct the energies of those operations, which are to feed and 
clothe the world, lie accordingly bequeathed the sum of 
$0,000 to trustees, as a fund for instruction in scientific acr- 
riculture. The income was incorporated with the funds of 
the academy, in carrying out the design of the enlightened 
testator ; and an arrangement is now in [)rogress, for a course 
of scientific study, in connection with the academy, and the 
State Normal School. All honor be to those men, whose 
enlightened philosophy appreciates the true pur])oses of 
wealth, and whose benevolence turns away from the absorb- 
ing cry of avarice, to the higher calls of Christian duty. 

"• The evil that men do," said Shakspeare's wily orator, 
•' lives after them ! The good is oft interred with their bones ! 
So let it be with Cicsar!" So let it not be, so it will not be, so 
it can not be, with the deeds of Mather and the Harrisons. 
So it can not be with those, whose beneficence is expended in 
the promotion of human good. Every volume carried honie 
from the alcove to the fireside, for the delights of learning; 
every half-hour in its ([uiet halls, where the wise of all ages 
speak to us from their illuminated pages ; every annual return 
for the increase and the perpetuation of the blessings, which 
their benevolence originated, will be i-;n-li their ninliulfr mihI 
their jubilee. 

11 



82 WESTFIELD BT-CENTENNIAL. 



STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 

The interest of the town, in the cause of education, was 
manifested at a recent period, in the establishment of the 
State Normal School here. When the present system of ed- 
ucating the teachers of youth, for the business of their pro- 
fession, was at first inaugurated, it was looked upon, by many 
sensible persons, with fear and distrust. The early schools 
languished ; and such was the indifference to its welfare, that 
it became necessary to remove one of them to a new place, 
where the friends of education were more decided and pro- 
nounced in their opinions. To the honor of this town, it may 
be said, that Westfield never doubted. Experience had shown 
them the value of educated labor; and they believed, that 
the educators of mind should not be novices. For the pur- 
poses of its reception and establishment here, they made lib- 
eral offers and appropriations. The Board of Education ac- 
cepted the propositions, and Westfield became the seat of one 
of the state institutions. It soon became necessary to erect 
a building; and, acting in connection with the center school- 
district, a building was put up, large enough for both the 
normal and common school. The former soon absorbed the 
whole building. It still went on and prospered; and, at last, 
an addition, equal to the whole original structure, was made 
to it. And now a new feature has been introduced. It is pro- 
posed to educate teachers in all the branches of common, and 
high school learning; and, for that purpose, a new story, cover- 
ing the whole building, has just been completed, and the school 
has now commenced under new auspices of extended good. 



And now, as we approach the close of these more formal 
and serious ceremonials, to commence upon those observances, 
where are to mingle " the flow of soul, and the philosophy of 
pleasure," let me press upon your consideration, the impor- 
tant question, — what is to be the future of this town, when 
one and two centuries shall have passed away? Is it destined 
to fall back in the march of improvement, and to be out- 
stripped by other towns, whose slow advances we have de- 



MU. i;ati:s' address. 83 

rideil? Is It to Iin<Tcr, listlessly, along the hy-wjiys of ease 
and plea.>»urc, contented to receive what chance may throw 
into its lap, without a wish to extend an individual effort for 
the puhlic weal? Or, are we, with that enlightened fcjrc- 
thdught, which comprehends public welfare, j)ul)lic honor, 
and j)ul)lic reputation, as an index of private advancement 
and private character, and with a concerted determination to 
enrich, elevate and improve it, in its natural and moral pros- 
perity, to rush forward in the race of progress, and seize upon 
the victor's garland? 

Let us never forget that we arc the guardians of its ])res- 
ent, and its future prosperity. It is for us to cast its horo- 
scope; and coming events will bring it forward to that ad- 
vance, where we cast it. Our fathers, surely, provided for 
us a goodly heritage. They cast our lot for us in pleasant 
places, on the swift, gliding streams of Woronoco. 

Here, still, are the hroad meadows, that nature fertilizes, 
with her more than annual inundations. Here are those broad 
plains, than which no other soil produces so valuable cereals. 
Here are the forest-waving mountains, which shelter and em- 
bosom this most beautiful valley, and which our fathers cov- 
eted for building {)urposes, two hundred yeai's ago I Plere 
are those health-giving streams, which still afford an unlim- 
ited power for prosperous industry. Here are the public 
schools, that stand as monuments of municipal wis<lom. Here 
are the churches of all denominations, central and beautiful, 
with pastors, in harmony with the people, and in concord with 
each other : and here, amid all the blessings that were ever 
showereil drnvn upon any people, we may enjoy, to the ut- 
most fulness, what the exiles sought, and for which our fath- 
ers fought, — "Freedom to worship God I'' 

Note. — In the preparation of the address, I have had occasion to refer fre- 
quently to tlie l)Ooks and papers in the archives of the Commonwealth, in the 
department under the (liarge of Hun. Oliver Warner, the Seirelary of State. 
IK- hnN afTimled me every facility of access to them, and has furnished me with 
cfipies of those which are inserted in the Appendix. 

I should, however, have been enibarriissed in researches, without the aid of 
that diliirent untiquari.in, Mr. Pulsifer. His thorough e.xjtlonitions and his 
accurate knowledge have brought many papers to light, of the existence of 
which few, if any jK-rsons were co(;nizant. 



The Dill 11 or. 



The Committee on Entertainment had securefl tlie 
mammoth tent of Prince & Co. of Boston, measuring: 
20fl feet by 80, for use on the occasion, and had it 
pitched in Broad street, at the south end of the park. 
Tables were arranged, and phites set for one thou- 
sand persons or more, and each plate had an occupant. 
Messrs. Fowler & Noble of Westfield, and E. C. Barr 
& Co. of Springfield were the caterers. The liooH 
had very seriously interfered with their arrangements, 
causing vexatious delay, so that the dinner which was 
to have been served at one o'clock, did not come off 
till three, and some articles on the "'bill of fare" did 
not come to hand at all. Our excellent caterers, 
under the circumstances, could do nothing better 
than throw thenxselves upon the patience and good 
nature of their guests, which they found in abund- 
ance, unquenched by the flowing waters. One could 
leam from them what strong detennination and per- 
sistent effort can accomplish under adverse circum- 
stances. 

The exercises in the church being concluded, the 
procession re-fonned and marched around the park 
to the tent, fdling up the ample space within the en- 
(^losurc. The tables presented u very ueat appear- 
ance. They were highly decorated with llowers from 
the gardens of IS. Dow, Esq., and Mr.s. Judson Kowe. 



86 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

and if all the articles called for by the " bill of fare" 
were not at hand, still there was an abundance to 
satisfy the sharpened appetites of the vast throng, 
and to spare. Norman T. Leonard, Esq., in the ab- 
sence of Mr. Fowler, presided. A blessing was in- 
voked by the Rev. Edward Jessup of Brooklyn, N. Y., 
a native of the town. After an hour of successful 
onslaught, a fearful scene was presented. 

The dinner ended, the true symposium com- 
menced. As a rule, unstudied after-dinner speeches 
have a certain mellowness and bonhomie about them, 
as if the flavor of the viands already was incorpora- 
ted in their words, and those of to-day were not ex- 
ceptions. 

Hon. Thomas Kneil opened the ball by proposing 
as the first toast : 

" The President of the United States." 

It was expected that Gilmore's band would be 
present and play " Hail to the Chief," but it was not 
able to reach the town. The Hon. H. L. Dawes was 
invited to be present and respond to this sentiment. 
The following dispatch, which was read at the table, 
explains the cause of his absence : 

PiXTSFIELD, Oct. 6, 1869. 

Hon. E. B. Gillett, Westfeld: 

The floods rage between me and thee, and I am disappointed. 

H. L. Dawes. 

The second regular toast was then announced: 
The Governor of the Commonwealth. 

To which Hon. Horatio G. Knight of Easthampton, 
member of the governor's council, ably responded. 

He regretted that neither His Excellency the Governor, nor His 
Honor the Lieutenant Governor were present to make a fitting response 
to the sentiment that had just been offered. The former was not ex- 



PROCEEDINGS AT TAliLE. 87 

pccted ; the latter was doulitless detained by the great frcsliet, whieh 
had interrupted the lines of travel. 

While sitting in the cliurcli, witli that great congregation, composed 
mostly of the sons and daughters of Westfield, anrl while listening to 
the eloquent and instructive addresses there made, and the delightful 
music there performed, he almost regretted that he was not a native of 
the town, and did regret that he had never been a mend)er of Westfield 
Academy. He then felt, and now, at that table, felt almo.st as an in- 
truder at a groat family festival. Living so near to We-stfield, in an 
adjoining county, it had been his privilege to make the acquaintance of 
many of her prominent citizens ; but he had known little concerning 
the history of the town. He had many reasons for respecting the town, 
and feeling a lively interest in its prosperity. All he had heard and 
seen on that occasion increased that respect and interest. 

Westfield, with its churches, its schools, its manufactories, and its pro- 
ductive farms, has occupied, and will continue to holil a conspicuous 
place in this noble commonwealth. Such towns make the state a noble 
one, make us proud of it, and constrain us to repeat with loving hearts, 
"God .save the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." 

lie thought it would not be proper for him to occupy more time, and 
confluded his remarks by thanking the committee for their invitation to 
attend the celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the incor- 
poration of their good old town, and expressing the earnest hope that the 
future history of Westfield might be even more glorious than the 
past. 

The third regular toast : 

The Connnonwcalth of Massachusetts — prosperous within her own 
borders, she sends forth her children to form new States and Territories, 
and imbue them with her own thrift and industry. 

Responded to by the Hon. Charles R. Ladd of 
Springfield, foiTnerly a member of Westfield Acad- 
emy. Mr. Ladd said : 

Mr. C/i(ii>mnn : The day, with all its peculiar duties and enjoy. 
mcnt.«, l)elongs of right to the citizens of your beautiful and tiiriving 
town, and to the children from other places — near ami far away — 
whom they have invited home. You, sir, know very well that I nm 
not one of the family, either by birth or adoption. Consequently I 
am here to-day without an invitation, and only jis a spectator of these 
interesting exercises. I hoj)ed to meet many friends who, with me. 



88 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

were members of the old Academy, nearly thirty years ago, and also 
to see the estimable and honored gentleman who was then its popular 
principal, and who is now doing good service for the cause of educa- 
tion in a neighboring State. But I have wandered through your 
streets, seeking familiar faces almost in vain, and have experienced that 
strange sadness which sometimes possesses one, when he feels that he 
is alone in the midst of a multitude of people. 

Your generous hospitality gave me a place at these well filled tables, 
and I can do no less than to express my heart-felt thanks to the citi- 
zens of Westfield, for this very substantial kindness, and to ask their 
indulgence while I add a few words in response to the sentiment last 
announced. 

My honorable friend, (Mr. Knight,) who has just spoken so elo- 
quently upon the same topic, has left me but little to say. 

Sir, the prosperity of Massachusetts is not a myth, but is an exist- 
ing, palpable fact. It is felt and known on every hand, and almost 
throughout the world. It is seen in the crowded streets of her cities, 
and in the rural homes that dot her hill-sides and her valleys, — on 
every river and streamlet that can turn a spindle, and her numerous 
lines of railroad that bear the products of her industry to business 
centers, beyond her borders. Though her commerce languishes, it is 
not dead ; and though her stubborn soil yields but a moderate reward 
for the labor expended upon it, it adds something at least to the grand 
total of her annually increasing wealth. 

Her schools and colleges and other institutions of learning, were 
never so well patronized, or so efficiently and successfully managed. 
Life and activity — a cheerful and contented spirit prevails everywhere ; 
and best of all, intelligence, Christian morality and business integrity, 
stand prominently forth as the characteristics of her people. It would 
be pleasant to trace these results back to their causes, but time and 
your patience would fail me. It is sufficient for the occasion to say 
that they had their origin in the colonial and provincial periods of her 
history, and that the church and the common school system are enti- 
tled to a large share of the credit of making Massachusetts what she 
has been in the past, and wliat she is today. 

In my earlier years I could not understand why she was called a 
commonwealth — as if in contradistinction to other states in the Union. 
Perhaps the prophetic vision of the fathers saw in her high destiny, 
the leader in all benevolent and Christian movements for the benefit of 
the human race, and the briglit exemplar for the guidance of the na- 
tions in the organization of a free republic. That she is the founder of 



I'UOCKKDIXGS AT TAHLK. 80 

states, is sufliciently exemplified in tliis pn'f'Jt gatherinj^ of the; .scattered 
children of a sin;;le town. I know not liow many states and territories 
are represented here; hut statistics ahundantly show the fact, that all 
over the land — in the deep forests of Maine and the everghidcs of 
Florida, on the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Montana, on 
the cotton plantatimis of the .South and the ranches of the Pacific coast 
— the children of the Old Bay State are found hy scores and iiundreds. 
And wherever they go, they plant the civilization, the institutions, and 
the morals of the conuiionwealth, hy the side of their homes. 

In this fact we chcrisli an honest ])ride, and upon it, the patriot, the 
philanthropist, and the Christian rests his strongest hopes for the future 
of our country. 

Fourth regular toast: 

The Founders of Westfield — They selected their township with wis- 
dom ; they defended it with hravery; and the plea.sant scenes in which 
their children dwell, are the monuments of their enterpri.se and refine- 
ment. 

E. V. I>. Iloleoinl), Es(|., of Chicojjoc WcsHidd- 
born ami bred, responded as follows: 

Mr. President : — It gives us sincere pleasure to return to our nativ*- 
town to participate in these interesting, instructive and plea^^ing lii-cen- 
tennial exercises ; to return to our native town, — old Wcstfiehl, — the 
home of our youth and our boyhood, to meet here so many returned 
.Sims and daughters, friends and acquaintances of former days; to grasp 
the friendly hand, and again look into these faces, after years of sepa- 
ration ; to talk over old times and sayings, ami note the improvements 
of her enterprising citizens in her manufacturing, her mechanical, Iht 
agricultural and e<lucational interests, which so eminently m;irk her 
progress and give her distinction. Our different callings have led 
us in various directions and pursuits of life. Engros.sing ns they have 
been, they have never blotted from our memory the home of our nativity ; 
neither have we ceased an active intcre.st in her prosperity, her growth, 
and her welfare. We have seen, with great .satisfaction, the public 
spirit of her citizens, manifested in tlie development of those enterprises, 
which are useful to mankind, and which we Iwhold in the many neat and 
comfortable dwellings, the broad and well kept walks and .«treets, stores, 
and gofnl farm.'*, tlio stately churches and fine .school -hou.<»es, which so 
elegantly adorn and beautify our good old home ; monuments of your 
liberality, good ta.xte, culture and refinement, .showing that the stirring 



90 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAI- . 

people of the town have nobly carried out the wisdom and policy of the 
founders of this ancient town ; and the bravery of her many sons, who 
stood for the defence of our country and government, immolating their 
lives for freedom's sake, for the sake of the Union, and the right in 
our late war, show that able and brave soldiers were reared here, and 
ready to emulate the spirit of their fathers. 

We are happy to greet so many aged people here to-day, the fathers 
and mothers of a former generation, linking the present with the past, 
recounting to us the growth and prosperity of the town ; long may they 
live, " their last days being their best days." 

Many who started in life with us are not here to day, they have fallen 
by the way ; they are missed, but not forgotten. This memorable bi- 
centennial day we welcome as one of the happiest days of our lives ; 
forever will it be fresh in our memories ; and thankful are we to the 
wide awake people of old Westfield, for inaugurating and executing, 
with such marked success, the events of the day. Thanking a kind 
Providence for all his many blessings, and permitting so many to meet 
and participate in this celebration, we close by oflPering the following 
sentiment : 

The sons who have gone from old Westfield — Proud of the town and 
home that gave them birth, of its agricultural, manufacturing, educa- 
tional and mechanical prosperity, her churches and school-houses, her 
success and her history ; may they never do anything to bring dishonor 
on her fair name. 

The fifth regular toast: 

The returned Sons and Daughters of Westfield — We welcome back 
"the old familiar faces." Let them tarry with us till they study well 
the lessons of their childhood, before they take a new departure. 

Rev. Dr. S. E. Ely, of Roslyn, Long Island, re- 
sponded, he said: 

Mr, Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: — I am happy to meet and 
greet you on this rare and interesting occasion, and esteem it a privilege 
to express (however feebly) the feelings and emotions which are awak- 
ened by the scene before me. The occasion is rare, inasmuch as it oc- 
curs but once in a hundred years — it is our first and last gathering of 
the kind. It is a joyful occasion, because it is a return to the place of 
our birth — to the home of our childhood, after long years of absence — 
a comino; back to meet the few who be";an life with us, and who became 
the more dear as their numbers diminished. 



riiOCEEDLNGS AT TAULK. 91 

"O homo of my boyhood, my ilear native homo, 
I lovo it tlie better wlierever I roam." 

This is a beautiful spot, on whieh the haml of God has liecn most 
lavi.sh of his gifts. To the west rises tho.se ro('kril)bL'd hills, tiiat h)ok 
to day just as they looked in my ohildhood, ijueer and beautiful ; stand- 
ing just where they stood when the voice of God spake them into being 
To the north stands Mt. Tom and his little brother llolyoke in all their 
grim, sullen grandeur, like two old sentinels looking forth upon the 
beautiful valley of the Connecticut. From the east wo catch the first 
beams of the rising sun, and from the south comes the pure, fresh 
breeze from the ocean, modified a little by its passage over hills and 
plains. It is indeed a charming spot — ever dear to our heart.s — ever 
fre.sh in our memories, into whatsoever lands we may have wandered. 
There is a single thought, to which I trust I may be permitted to give 
utterance. It is the ministrv of this place. The town was oro'anized 
two hundred years ago to-da}'. The first church organization of the 
place was ten years later, and the first clergyman of the place, regu- 
larly ordaincfl and installed, was the Rev. Mr. Taylor. The next was 
the Kev. Mr. IJulI, who.sc successor was the Kev. Mr. Balantino, and 
the fourth link in the ministerial chain was the Rev. Mr. Atwater, the 
fifth the Rev. Isaac Kna[tp, and the sixth the Rev. Dr. E. Davi.s. 
Without pau.-«ing to individualize or dwell upon the gifts and e.xeelleneies 
of these devout men, it is sufficient for our purpo.se to know that they all 
magnified their office. They have all fini.shcd their course with you — their 
graves hallow the ground where slumbers the dust of your fathers — 
not one was allowed to suflfer from penury, or forced away in age. This 
simple fact speaks volumes in your and their prai.sc. As we survey the 
lalmrs of these sainted men, we cannot fail of discovering the mighty 
influenre which they exerted over the minds and morals of our fathers 
— over all that pertained to their welfare in the life that now i.s, and 
that which is to come. In regard to the other churches of our commoa 
Lord and Saviour I can say but little, from the simple fact that they have 
come into exi.stence since I have left this plaee. They probably had 
their struggles, trials and discouragements in their infancy, but they 
have now attained a strong and noble manhood, and as memiters of the 
great body of Christ, arc exerting an influence in common with their 
sister churches, which tells not only upon the present generation, but 
which will tell Ujion generations yet to come. 

And ni'W, Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen of \Ve.stfield, permit 
me to express to you my gratitude, and the gratitude of all your guesta 
to-day, for the honor you have done us on this occasion, and the eloquent, 



92 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

cordial, touching welcome with which we have been received. This is 
the last gathering of the kind in which we shall ever mingle — but thanks 
to our Father, there is another gathering in which we and the great 
host of the good who have preceded us shall meet ; a gathering on the 
fair banks of the River of Life, where we shall be exempt from the toils 
and partings incident to us here ; until then, honored friends and kin- 
dred dear, farewell ! 

George Stowe, Esq., of New York, son of the late 
Deacon John H. Stowe of Westfield, was now called 
upon for a song. Mounting a chair, he sang " The 
Home of my Boyhood " with a vim and abandon, that 
elicited shouts of applause. 

Sixth regular toast : 

The President of the Day — Venerable in years, ripe in virtue. His 
path like that of the just, shining more and more unto the perfect day. 

The infirm health of Mr. Fowler had com^^elled 
him to retire before this sentiment was read, and the 
company were deprived the pleasure of hearing his 
response. 

Seventh regular toast : 

The Orator of the Day — Distinguished and accomplished in his pro- 
fession, beloved and respected as a citizen, he honors his native town 
by his able and interesting address on this occasion. 

Mr. Bates said in reply, substantially as follows : 

There are some people, Mr. Chairman, who pretend to contemn the 
opinion of the world. They aflfect to consider, that all their conduct pro- 
ceeds from the best of motives ; and, that what they do, is done in the 
best way ; so that, if the world censure them, the world is mistaken, 
and they are sorry, not for themselves, but for the errors of the world. 
There is another class, who pretend, that they are of independent 
thought, uninfluenced by, and regardless of the conduct, or the estimate 
of others ; and, generally, such persons are of such character, that, as 
between them and the world, there is no love lost. I belong, Sir, to 
neither of these classes. I do value the opinion of my fellow-men, 
and, especially of my townsmen, — of those, who have lived with me, 
in the town, where they and I were born and bred ; and, therefore, I 



PROCKEDINGS AT TABLE. 93 

vuluo tlio sL'iitiiiR'Ut, wliicli has been given, and I tool grateful fur the 
iiiamicr in which it has huoii roceivotl. 

I tlo not consider it as a mere furuial couiplinient. I know that 
this assenihlago appreciates tlie elFnrt, whicli has lieen made tu group 
together the nieninrials of our forefathers, the early and brave settlers 
of this town ; and they are glad, that even so much has been done, aa 
I have been enabled to do ; and my regret is, and it is a sincere one, 
that I have not been able to accomplish more, to spread before you a 
record, more worthy of them, and of the occasion. 

And here, perhaps, I ought to stop. I see your ciiairman thinks so. 
I read, what he would say, in his eye, and his face. Ho is .-laying to 
me, in his silence, which, it is said, is often the mo.st expressive elo- 
quence, " You have been honored with an appointment of your towns- 
men, to deliver an historical address. You have delivered it ! For 
more than a mortal hour, have you kept a large audience in the church, 
obliged to listen to your lucubrations. They could not go out, without 
disturbing the order of the proceedings, and endangering their dinner, 
and therefore they stayed, in constrained patience. You were assigned 
an honored seat on the dais, next to the chairman. You have received 
the usual complimentary toast to ' the orator of the day ;' and the 
company have, good-naturedly, made a show of approbation. And 
yet, after all this has been done, you get up, like a clergyman, who 
preaches all the afternoon, to tell his hearers what he said in the fore- 
noon, to say, what you ought to have said, or to repeat what you have 
said already." I do confess, that I do not see how I can stand up 
under these heavy objurgations. I feel that I must yield to them, and 
especially so, when I see around mn so many distinguished persons, 
from all parts of the country, whom we all would be glad to hear. 
But I cannot sit down, my friends, without assuring you, that the 
words of welcome that our lips have uttered, our hearts feel ! You 
have wandered away from the Woronoco, over many higher and 
loftier mountains, over many broader and deeper rivers, than those 
which glide, and, at times, rush through the valley, which our moun- 
tains encircle. And some of you have passed over to the Western 
shores of this broad continent. But, we are glad to see you back 
ag-ain, upon tlie hearth-stone of our race. We are rejoiced to have 
you see us ; to have you see what we have done, and what we are now 
doing. Anil, when you leave us, as you will too soon do, for the 
happy homes where you now dwell, we wouhl have you c;irry with 
you the abiiling conviction, that the lires, which our fathers lighted 
here, in a wilderness, shall bo kept by us, ever brightly burning. 



94 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

Eighth regular toast: 

Russell — The youngest child of Westfield — bora when its mother 
was 128 years old; and in Russell was begotten Reuben whose sur- 
name is Chapman. By this birth Russell became the mother, and 
Westfield the grandmother of the judiciary of the commonwealth. 

Official duties prevented the attendance of the 
chief justice. We publish a letter from him in the 
appendix. 

Ninth regular toast: 

Southwick — The eldest child of Westfield — born when its parent 
was a hundred years old, but not weaned till a lusty youngster of ten. 

To which Mr. S. S. Fowler of Southwick replied 
briefly. 

Tenth regular toast: 

Montgomery — Our second child. Like a bold eaglet she looks down 
from her mountain perch upon the parent nest. 

Eleventh regular toast: 

The Fathers of Westfield — Distinguished for their strong common 
sense, their unswerving integrity, their love of simple customs, and for 
their success in every worthy undertaking. 

Rev. Ambrose Day responded substantially as fol- 
lows : 

I had thought the arrangements made for this occasion, were gener- 
ally pretty judicious, but I come now, where the wisdom of the pro- 
gramme is not so apparent. The old men of the town are not here, and 
if they were, I might not be their representative. 

But, sir, of the old men of the town, — where are they ? I look in 
vain for them here to-day, and with solitary exceptions they are gone — 
gone to be with us here no more. They have taken their departure to 
another land, some of them so recently that their presence had been 
anticipated at this gathering, and we feel a sort of disappointment at 
not seeing their faces among us. In contemplating the fathers of the 
town, we are forcibly reminded of the anecdote of the little maid, who 
when inquired of, how many children there were belonging to the fam- 
ily, replied "Seven." When asked where they were, she answered 
by giving the locality of five of them, and added, "and two are dead." 



T'ltOCKKDlXCS AT TABLE. 



95 



When it was ol.j.-otinfrly askcl, "Tlien there are but five of you, are 
thcreV " .he still insisted, " Yes, wc are seven." So we too must make 
the same claim, yes, we are seven. 

With this (li'fniition of the " ohl men ^.f the town," wo say they 
were as a class, a worthy set of men. They had not all the advan- 
tages wc cnjov. They could not have come their hundred miles this 
mornin-. and Loon present at this festival, hut they were men ..f sound 
common sense. S..cial and kindly in their intercourse, sol.er, industri- 
ous and frugal in their habits. Young America was not at a premium 
with them. Indeed he was not then grown. If born, he had not at- 
taint the proportions he has since assumed. Having but lately ac- 
quired deliverance from a foreign dominion, they had found themselves 
in a kind of social and political chaos, and they felt th..m..elves en- 
gaged in roaring a superstructure for themselves and their posterity. 
Tlmt sui-orstructure we have to-day, in the institutions they e.stabli.shed, 
and in the character, intelligence and cnterpri.se of their de.<cendants 
here assembled, or wherever they arc scattered over the lands. The 
schools they planted, and other institutions they organized, are yielding 
to us an exuberant harvest of social, civil and religious bles.sings. 
Their names and their doings are to be held in grateful remembrance. 
I will only add. honor to their memory, and peace to their ashes. 

Twelfth regular toast: 

The Women of Westfield— Wives and Mothers, nowhere truer. 
They have been rendered illustrious by the character of their sons and 
daughters ; Maidens nowhere lovelier. 

This ^vas responded to by Kev. E. II. Kielianlson. 
lie said : 

I think the sentiment eminently just, except that its different 
parts were a little too much restricted in their application ; for, in 
the first place, what is declared of the wives and mothers is ciually 
true of the daughters and the maidens ; and what is declared of the 
maidens, is true also of the wives and mothers. They are all alike 
true, yet no more true, than lovely. Go where you will-the wide 
world' over-and more of all that, which serves to render the female 
presence a charm and a sanctification, you will not fin.l. xNuw we 
feel this to-day. These wives, mothers and daughters are not only the 
embollishment, but the inspiration of the occiusion. These decora- 
tions, by which the church was so beautifully ad-rned. were the thoughts 
,.f their -mind, atid the work of their fingers. The songs of the day 



96 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

have thrilled us more deeply, have inspired us with better sen- 
timents, than perhaps any words, which for months have been addressed 
to us. How much of the material of the excellent commemorative ad- 
dress of the day owed its existence to what the women of Westfield 
have done ; and those warm words of welcome, could a higher praise of 
them be spoken, than that they expressed the heart of the whole assem- 
bly — of the mothers, wives and daughters of Westfield. I can not 
pass by the hymns, or poems that were read. Why, just look back 
over the day, — so much of it as has passed, — and take away from its 
pleasures and improvement that part, contributed by the female mind 
and heart, and what would remain ? The efifect wrought upon the fes- 
tivities of the day by this bicentennial flood, would be as nothing to 
such a depletion. Of the congregations, which assemble upon the Sab- 
bath in this town, I think three-fourths of each are composed of women. 
Without them the social meetings in these churches would be a farce. 
Two-thirds of the membership of these churches is composed of women. 
Three-fourths of our Sabbath School teachers are women. Of all the 
reforms of the day, what the women contribute is the main clement. 
Of the positive forces of the day and the hour, they are the greater 
part. 

And what the women of Westfield are to-day, have we a doubt but 
that they have always been? In looking over the ancient records, 
we do not indeed find written the names of women. Not a speech or 
address from a Westfield woman is there in print. I do not think that 
either from pulpit or rostrum by a Westfield woman, an oration or ad- 
dress was ever delivered. From the very tombstone of many a one 
of them, the very name has been obliterated. Yet have not the 
mothers of this town, though not by speech, expressed themselves ? And 
as regards monumental commemoration, unto whom has been erected that, 
which is more enduring, or more to honor ? The women of Westfield 
have been the wives and motliers of the men of Westfield. All of history 
is of them. To review the past, to review all that ennobles, and blesses 
the present, is to review them. Have we not the pledge that, what 
the motliers have been, the daughters are now? Young men — you 
who are here to-day, not with a mother, not with a sister leaning upon 
your arm — a word to you. Learn to estimate the treasure that you 
have. God made woman to be beautiful, to clothe herself in garments 
of beauty. He made her also to beautify. A beautiful maiden is the 
most beautiful object that an angel ever thought, or that God ever made 
— I believe — and yet, to say of any true woman that she is beautiful, 
is saying too little. Young man, the resemblance of her ancestors, of 



PROCEEDINGS AT TATU-K. 



97 



her niotluT is upon that maiden, and there is beauty in her, as well a.s 
ujioii her. TIilto is determination in )ier, fortitude, patience, hulpfuhiess, 
womanly devotion. ])iety. love, trust. IJelievo it of her ; confide in 
her: he wortliy of her. Let the men of West field be worthy of the 
women of Westfield, and the honor of our future is secure. 

Thirteenth regular toast : 

The colors of the lOth Regiment— Their tattered folds recall the 
days, when "stormed at, with shot and sliell, tliey led tlie columns of 
the gallant 10th to victory." 

Capt. P. Solomon of Westfield replied. He said : 

I had not the honor of following through the many hard-fought bat- 
tles, the flags you have just toasted. My lot was in other field.s sustain- 
ino- its counterpart. The loyal soldier of our late war loses none of 
his enthusiasm in responding for the " Stars and Stripes." They arc all 
alike to liim — have the same meaning — no matter to which of our brave 
regiments they were entrusted. I regret my inability to follow in de- 
tail the hi.story, and awaken reminiscences of the perils and struggles, 
throu"-h which your brave sons carried this tattered banner, in the se- 
vere.'Jt contliets again.st disunion, and how, when peace crowned the ef- 
forts of patriotism, they brought it back in victory, more beautiful 
though torn, than when sound in all its parts. Then its destiny hung 
in the balance : now it is assured ! It is to us a pleasant coincidence, 
that the same strong arm and stout heart tliat bore it in the fiercest din 
of battle without a fear or a waver, through every struggle of the Army 
of the Potomac, from Fair Oaks to Petersburg, is with us to-day, and 
carried " the dear old flag " in the proces.sion this morning. As color 
sergeant he held it up in bold deflance when comrades fell around it, 
and every corporal of his guard fell a victim to the rebel fire. Adam 
Swan of "Company K" must be forever remembered and as.sociated 
with the flag you honor to-day. 

No wonder that WesffieM looks back with pride upon the past, and 
rejoices in the fullnes.s of her heart, that the trusts confided to her by 
the commonwealth (always first in war for liberty and e-iuality) were 
not misplaced. How inspiring to the soldier is your sentiment, loyal, 
patriotic and fre.«h as in the dark days of our country, when friends 
were plenty, but not too numerous ; and now. when the giMiil work ha^ 
been done, neither the pril nor the dear ol<l tlag is forgotten. Are 
Republics ungrateful when such people are at the foundation of our 
government ? Emulating the noble principles which gave our flag its 
13 



98 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

birth, deeming no sacrifice too great for its maintenance, we will march 
in the van of civilization, holding it aloft, as a glorious beacon of hope, 
to which all may steer; and under its folds securely anchor. And as . 
surely as we follow in motive and deed, the lofty examples taught by 
the ancestry of American liberty, so certainly will our children follow 
us; generation will follow generation, each vieing with the other, to be- 
queath its share and interest of its own priceless inheritance. 

Fourteenth regular toast : 

The Westfield Atheneum — The memories of Samuel Mather and 
Hiram Harrison. The Atheneum is their monument. May it be im- 
perishable. 

Mr. Eldredge of Hartford replied, handsomely re- 
ferring to the lives and characters of Messrs. Mather 
and Harrison as signal instances of what may be ac- 
complished by faithfulness, perseverance and purity 
of life, and recommended with earnestness that the 
young men of Westfield strive to imitate their vir- 
tues and good qualities. 

Fifteenth regular toast : 

Our brave Soldiers — For the dead — our tears. For the living — our 
prayers. To all — our gratitude. 

Mr. E. B. Smith was called upon to respond which 
he did in a manner worthy of the brave men com- 
memorated. 

Sixteenth regular toast : 

Our Public Schools — The fathers founded and fostered them. We 
hold them in trust, a precious memorial of wisdom of the past, and 
blessed pledge of the stability and progress of the future. 

Replied to by Eev. H. Hopkins, substantially as 
follows : 

Mr. President — Ladies and Gentlemen : The declining sun and 
this dissolving audience forbid that I should respond as fully as I had 
intended to the sentiment just read ; but it would be inexcusable, if on 
this occasion no distinct historical reference were made to the connec- 
tion of our system of public education with the men of two hundred 



PROCEEDINGS AT TABLE. 90 

years ago. The inlmbitants of this place at thaf time, — some of whoso 
names have been spoken to-day, formed a part, and were a sample of 
the old puritan colonial commonwealth. I may be permitted then, sim- 
ply to read twi) or three extracts from the early colonial records, which 
reflect the bri/^htest lustre upon the fathers. As illustrating their spirit, 
take this prayer, uttered before the civil court of Ma.ssachusetta in 1G45, 
by Jolin Eliot, the apostle to the Indians: " Lord ! for schoijls every- 
where among us I that our schools may flourish I that every member 
of this assembly may go homo and procure a good school to be encour- 
aged in the town where he lives ! that before we die we may be so 
happy as to see a good school encouraged in every plantation in the 
country." I should like to further illustrate this point, but forbear. 
As early as lU3o, free schools were commenced in Boston, and in the 
year 1647, the General Court passed the following memorable order, 
for the promotion of common education : "It is, therefore, ordered by 
this courte and authority thereof, that every towneshipp within this ju- 
risdiction, after that the Lord hath increased them to the number of 
fifty howsholders, shall then forthwith aj)poiute one within theire towne, 
to teach all such children as shall resortes to him, to write and read, 
whose wages shall be paid either by the parents or mothers of such 
children, or by the inliabitants in general, by way of supplye, as the 
major porte of those who order the prudentials of the towne shall ap- 
pointe. And be it further ordered, that when any towne shall in- 
crease to the number of one hundred families or howsholders, they 
shall sett up a grammar school, the mothers thereof being able to in- 
struct youths so far as they may bee fitted for the university." It waa 
thus that our fathers founded our public schools. 

Cotton Mather says of the University of Cambridge which they 
fuiinded in 163G, when there were only five thousand families of them, 
that it was " the best thing they ever thought of." But in the light of 
the developing history of the country, the most discerning minds of 
our time declare the best thing they ever thought of was the common 
school system. 

Mr. Horace Mann, in one of his reports to the board of education, 
after describing the scattered, enfeebled, endangered and f-uflering con- 
dition of the colonists, says : " it was then, and amid all these priva- 
tions and dangers, that the pilgrim fathers conceived the magnificent 
idea of a free and universal education for the people. As an innova- 
tion upon all pre existing p<dicy and usages, the establishment of free 
schools was the boldest ever promulgated since the cummcuceiucnt of 
the Christian era." 



100 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

Mr. Bancroft writeS, "In these measures, especially in the laws es- 
tablishing common schools, lies the secret of the success and character 
of New England. Every child, as it was born into the world, was lifted 
from the earth by the genius of the country, and in the statutes of the 
laud, received as its birthright, a pledge of the public care for its mor- 
als and its mind;" and Judge Story says, " The truest glory of our 
forefathers is in that system of public instruction, which they instituted 
by law, and to which New England owes more of its character, its dis- 
tinction and its prosperity, than to all other causes. If this system be 
not altogether without example in the history of other nations (as I 
suspect it to be in its structure and extent), it is, considering the age 
and means of the projectors, an extraordinary instance of wise legisla- 
tion, and worthy of the most profound statesmen of any time. At the 
distance of centuries it stands alone and unrivalled." Such are, in 
brief, the facts, and such are the testimonies concerning them. Let me 
remark in passing, as a matter of the highest significance, that the free 
school system of our country owes its origin, not to political philosophers, 
or to mere philanthropists, but to men whose distinguishing character- 
istic was their religious faith, and who sought to put fully into practice 
in the new commonwealth they had founded, the principles of the 
Holy Scriptures. 

The early settlers of this town were many of them descendants of 
the Pilgrims, and as a community, inherited their principles and their 
usages. I can only stop to say, that the town record on this subject 
has been more than good from the first. Free public schools have ever 
been sedulously guarded and generously fostered, while the Westfield 
Academy, practically for many years an adjunct of the common school 
system, gave the place a wide and well deserved educational fame. 
Our normal school, which we believe to be the best in the land, is a 
testimonial not only to the wisdom of the state, but to the public spirit 
of this community. 

"Our public schools* we hold them in trust." It is a matter of proud 
record, that our schools have more than kept pace with the advancement 
of our material interests, and their condition on this bi-centennial day 
is a matter of public congratulation, in which I may say that you, sir, 
have an especial right to share. If time permitted, I should like to speak 
of our schools as they now are. We hold them in trust, too sacred to be 
touched by a demagogue, too precious to be rudely handled by any po- 
litical manager for any party's ends. They require the patient and 
faithful watch and care of our best men and women, and they will de- 
mand increasing liberal appropriations of our money. But, fellow- 



PROCEEDINGS AT TABLE. 101 

citizens, these free public schools aro fundamental in our social and polit- 
ical economy, and whatever their real interests demand, we will gladly 
give. If we can hut produce anmng us nohle men and women, who 
shall bless and honor us, we may well afford to sacrifice all other pro- 
ducts, for they aro worth nothing except for this. If we fail in this, 
nothing else has value. Whoever seeks to overthrow the commoa 
school system of our country, is an enemy to the common good, and is 
to be resisted always, at all hazards, and to the end. 

I wish to say, sir, in conclusion, that in tlxese days the beneficent 
end of our system of public instruction can not be fully reached, un- 
less attendance on the schools be made in a greater degree com[)ul.sory. 
The times aro ripe for broader and more stringent legislation on this 
subject. The education given by primary instruction should be the 
lowest requisite for full citizensliip, and this education .should be de- 
manded by the state. In short, sir, we have need to reproduce, in its 
spirit, one of the earliest legislative acts of the Ma.ssachusetts colony, 
which was as follows : — " Forasmuch as the good education of children 
is of singular behoofe and benefit to any commonwealth ; and whereas 
parents and masters aro too indulgent and negligent of their duty in 
that kind, — It is therefore ordered by this courte and authority thereof, 
that the selectmen of every towne, in the several precincts and quar- 
ters where they dwell, shall have a vigilant eye over their brethren and 
neighlwrs ; to see first, that none of them shall suffer so much barbar- 
Lsme in any of their familyes, as not to endeavor to teach by themselves 
or others, theire children and apprentices, so much learning as may en- 
able thena perfectly to read the English tongue, and knowledge of the 
capitall lawes." From "so much barbarisme " in any of our "fam- 
ilyes," may " the courte and authority thereof " defend us. 

Seventeenth regular toast : 

The Westfield Merchants — Past and present. 

L. F. Thayer, Esq., responded substantially a.s fol- 
low.s : 

I really think it rather severe, Mr. President, that I should Ik? called 
upon to respond to the sentiment, the Merchants of Westfield ; and I 
have no doubt that when the sentiment was read, that many here ex- 
pected to see some dignified merchant of ri|x; age and experience, rise 
to resjwnd, instead of myself who am but a boy, in comparison with 
others who have gf)nc before me on the same path. 

When I declined to respond to this sentiment, on the ground that I 



102 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

could hardly consider myself much of a merchant, I confess I was some- 
what taken aback by our worthy orator, who very kindly remarked that 
he thought I was as much that as anything else, which some sensitive 
minds might have construed to mean more than was flattering. 

Had I been called upon to respond to the sentiment " Jack at all 
trades," I should have been just at home, and there is no telling how 
good a speech I should have made. But I confess that I am a little 
puzzled here, for my memory extends not back to the good old time 
that existed, ere that daughter of Massachusetts, called the state of 
Maine, embodied in her statutes certain laws, which the indulgent mother 
thought so good that she followed her daughter's example, and went 
and did it too ; I say I do not remember those glorious old times, when 
free from civil law, our worthy vice-presidents carried two jugs to the 
grocery for their molasses, having one filled with the common article 
in use at the present day, and the other with an article refined from the 
same material, and purified from all that was unpleasant, and in those 
days familiarly called Santa Croix. I do not remember the scenes in 
the old store on the west side of the green, where round the fire on 
winter nights, they used to gather, and as the glass went round, discuss 
and settle those knotty questions which wearied their brains by day ; and 
it seems to me that if some of these worthy gentlemen by my side, who 
in their earlier days may have happened to have witnessed some of 
those scenes, would tell the story, it would be vastly more pleasant to 
sit and hear it, but it is always the way, those that do know, won't tell. 
But, coming down to more modern times, I do remember the little shop 
that stood where Mr. Colton's store now is, and where Jonathan Tay- 
lor, with his genial face and kindly smile stood sentinel ; and the store 
on the east side, where the worthy proprietor systematized his business 
to a nicety. I remember, and who does not, the old store on the north 
side of the green, where Samuel Arnold, or as we boys used to call 
him, Uncle Sam, kept his various wares, and sold his goods for the best 
price he could get, and preached and prayed free to all who would 
listen ; his prayers for the rag-shag and bob-tail from hoop pole, will 
never be forgotten by those that heard them. Uncle Sam was a gen- 
ius in his way, and many were the tricks the boys sought to play 
upon him, but rarely did they outwit him. I don't suppose there ex- 
ists in the state to-day, a store where such infinite variety of goods could 
be found as was stored in that old trap, for nothing could be mentioned 
or called for, which the old man did not have. I remember of two 
young men making a bet on the ground that one asserted that nothing 
ould be called for that he could not produce ; and when the trial came, 



PROCEEDINGS AT TABLE. 103 

the opposing party walked very blandly up to Mr. Aniolil, and inquired 
if he had any 8ooond-liand fiulpifs for sale, which was certainly ratlier of 
a rare article to find in a niorcantile house ; Itut the man was a litth; sur- 
prised when the old gentleman, in his most winning manner, asked him 
to just step up stairs and see if the one he had would suit him. As 
the party that was invited had no particular use for the article, he did 
not buy, hut paid the bet. 

But it is late, and I must not weary you. I will not mention the 
names of those (some of whom are with us to-day) who have gone out 
from us into broader fields, and have lined their nests with gems and gold. 
1 will not sj)cak personally of tho.se, who at the present time are labor- 
ing from early morn till late at night to mini.ster to the wants of our 
growing town ; and let me tell you as one that knows, that then- i< no 
harder life than that you merchants lead, and from personal knowle<lgc and 
acquaintance with most of them, I know them to be earnest and honest 
men. I will not close without mentioning with kindly feeling.s, the 
names of Col. Hooker, Hiram Harrison and Jasper II. Hand, names that 
embodied all that was good, and true, and generous in human life ; few 
names in the mercantile history of Westfield were as widely known as 
theirs. But they, with others we have known, have pa.ssed away, but 
will never be forgotten, for the good deeds of their lives, quarried fmni 
generous thoughts and noble impulses, have builded for them monu 
ments nobler and richer than art can rear. 

Eighteenth regular toast : 

The Press — The great regulator and educator of human .society. 

Mr. Porter C. BHss, a reporter for the '* New York 
Times," and a recently released prisoner of Lopez, in 
South America, was introdticed to the audience by 
Mr. Leonard the presiding ollicer at the table, as one 
who had suftered much in consequence of his recent 
connection with the diplomatic service of our coun- 
try in Paraguay. He also presented him as a gen- 
tleman of rare attainments in anticjuariau lore, and 
as a kinsman. l)oth being descemled from Jolm Leon- 
ard. Tltat individual resided in Springfield, his house 
standing on the site now occupied by tlie block of 
Messrs. Homer Foot & Co. Uv liad fourteen child- 



104 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

ren, the eldest born in 1641, with whom and their 
descendants, many families in tliis vicinity have been 
and are connected. Like many of the early fathers, 
he fell by the hands of the Indians. 

Mr. Bliss responded to this sentiment as follows : 

I am surprised to be called upon, as this is my first appearance in 
Westfield. I was descended from a Springfield family, and, in listen- 
ing to the glowing eulogies of Westfield to-day, I have thought that if 
my ancestors had been aware of its superior advantages they would 
have emigrated in a body, in which case I should have been born here ; 
in this way I might establish a connection with Westfield. In looking 
up the genealogy of the Bliss family, recently, I have ascertained that 
no member of it was ever imprisoned or hung, so I must consider my- 
self the first scamp in the family : two years ago began for me the time 
that " tries men's souls," and mine was tried and condemned. I com- 
mend the courage of the town in continuing the celebration in the midst 
of untoward circumstances ; I find some comfort in the law of compensa- 
tion. I have it from good authority, that, while our deluge was at its 
height, Niagara river fell one hundred and sixty feet. 

I hardly belong to the regular press ; I am not a member of the 
press gang, but only of the flying-artillery ; I can say, however, that 
this is a most im-press-i\e occasion, and I will corn-press my remarks 
and close. 

Nineteenth regular toast : 

The State Normal School — May the growth of the School in the fu- 
ture, as in the past, like the recent enlargement of the building, be in 
an upward direction. 

Mr. Dickinson replied for the State Normal School, 
in the following felicitous manner: 

I suppose this festival belongs to those who can claim it by the right 
of birth. Although I was born not many miles away, I can not claim 
Westfield as my native town, and yet I have a feeling towards it simi- 
lar to that expressed by the foreigner, who said that he loved this coun- 
try so well, that he had concluded to make it his native country. I 
have come to love Westfield, first, on account of its physical beauty. 
I do not think there is a town in the commonwealth in which nature has 
bestowed her favors more generously and judiciously, in so far as phys- 
ical beauty is concerned, than in Westfield. We have here quiet walks 



PROCEEDINGS AT TABLE. 105 

and shades ; extended plains and sloping hills ; and all those variations 
of hill, and valley and forest, that constitute a beautiful landscape. I 
find tliat all who live here for a time, lovo to return after an absence, 
and revisit old places, that have been to them in former years the occa- 
sion of so much pleasure. 

But I love the town especially on account of her educational institu- 
tions. Years ago, before the common school system of the common- 
wealth was brought to its present state of perfection, before the day of 
high schools, when there was no grading of the lower schools, with ref- 
erence to the high schools, there was an educational institution in this 
town whose influence was felt throughout the county ; an institution 
in which the wh(de community was educated. It is the province of ed- 
ucation to mould the character and regulate the conduct. The West- 
field Academy with that good man, whom we all remember with as 
perfect a memory, an^whom we all love with as fresh a love, as though 
he had but just left us for his place in the upper world, at its head, de- 
serves a perpetual remembrance from this whole community, for what 
it has done for the town and county. The academy has fulfilled its high 
commission, and in the very place where it stood, has sprung up an in- 
stitution that is de.>*tincd to complete that grand system of public schools, 
of which the town has reason to be proud. The normal schools of the 
state are a part of her great system of public schools. The normal of 
Westfield has for its object the preparation of teachers for the common 
schools of the state. 

Whatever may have been the success of this school in the past, par- 
don me for saying that its teachers have always performed an amount 
of faithful work, that the teachers of no other school can easily exceed ; 
and we now have the great satisfaction of experiencing the most hearty 
support by our friends in the town, and by our patrons abroad. 

The gentleman whose address on this occa.sion has given us so much 
satisfaction, was one of the earliest and most effective sup|x>rters of our 
normal school. We have occasion continually to feel that the school us 
among its friends. Encouraged and suj)ported, we have three times 
outgrown our accommodations ; and if this encouragement and support 
shall continue in the future as in the past, we will outgrow our ac- 
commodations again. So that whoever of you shall be present at our 
next bi-ccntennial celebration, shall see a school-house in the valley, 
and a boarding-houso on the hill yonder, containing 2.jO pupils and 
boarders, furnished with all the facilities and accommodations necessary 
for the most complete and comfortable preparation for the great work of 
conjmon school-teaching. 
14 



106 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

Twentieth regular toast : 

The Westfield Academy — Though dead, it yet speaketh. 

It was most fitting that Mr. William Goldthwaite, 
so long connected with this institution should be 
called upon to respond, which he did in most felicitous 
speech, of which we regret no notes were taken. 

Twenty- first regular toast : 

The prosperity of Westfield — The first step in its progress was ia the 
path of learning. Let education follow its course and stimulate its 
future. 

Mr. J. G. Greenough's reply was as follows : 

After alluding to the fact that he was attached to Westfield by her 
educational institutions, and was afterwards adopted as one of the sons 
of Westfield, Mr. Greenough proceeded to notice the elements of the 
future prosperity of our town. Among these he called attention to the 
advantageous position of Westfield, accessible from the sea-board by two 
direct lines of railway, and equally fortunate in its connections with a 
wide territory to the west of us. He remarked that the two streams 
that here hollowed out our broad alluvion from a less productive plain, 
here also by their upper courses and numerous tributaries, made open- 
ings for roads that diverge from our village as from a natural center ; 
so that the resources of a wide territory are naturally the resources of 
Westfield. Passing from the natural advantages of the place, Mr. 
G. remarked, that the elements of the future prosperity of Westfield, 
were to be found in the educational institutions, rather than in her natu- 
ral resources. He remarked that Athens, upon her rocky site, eclipsed 
in fame and influence, all the wealth and splendor of ancient Rome, 
and that the glory of New England was not so much her material as 
her mental products. 

He closed with fitting allusion to the union of feeling and of action 
which had characterized the people of Westfield in every good work, 
and expressed the belief that, what Westfield had so worthily begun, 
she would nobly perfect, until she should be, in her educational institu- 
tions, second to no other town in the state. 

Twenty-second regular toast : 

The Business Men of Westfield — Their thrift and enterprise have 
produced the means by which our public improvements have been origi- 
nated. 



PROCEEDINCiS AT TABLE. 107 

Mr. IL B. Smith commenced by stating the old ad- 
age, that any one who could earn a living in West- 
field, could get rich elsewhere, and so he had con- 
cluded to split the difterence and make up all personal 
deficiences by trading chiefly with outsiders. He re- 
marked upon the good and great things accomplished 
by our predecessors, and closed with some pertinent 
remarks to the young men of business of Westfield. 

Twenty-third regular toast: 

The Westfield men, who are honored business men of other places. 

Mr. Calvin Day of Hartford replied briefly, but to 
the point. 

At this point, the following letter was read from 
Rev. H. Bingham of the Sandwich Islands, express- 
ing sympathy with us in our festal gathering : 

New Haven, October 6, 1869. 

"William G. Bates, Esq., Westfield, Mass. — Dear Sir : We are 
disappointed as to a timely conveyance to Westfield. At the very last 
available hour, I forward the portrait of Mrs. Bingham, formerly Miss 
Sybil Moseley of your town. Even the express company will not send 
it to-day. 

This friend of tlie heathen was an honor to the town that gave her 
birth and education. She was a sagacious and successful teacher in 
Southampton, Mass., Sharon and East Windsor, Conn., Canandaigua, 
N. Y., and Honolulu, Sandwich Islands; she was a true, affectionate 
and faithful mis.'^ionary, wife, and mother, unflinching in toilsome and 
hazardous missionary pioneering, and patient in suffering to the end. 
"She hath done what she could." I trust her rest i.<i glorious. 

Oh I that the Lord of the great harvest would send a competent num- 
ber of laborers of like spirit into his harvest ; and that all nations may 
Ikj soon led to acknowledge the supreme sovereignty of Christ, as truly 
and fully as the Hawaiian people have gladly and gratefully done. 

Yours truly, 

H. BINGHAM. 

Tlie Rev. Hiram Bingham married Mi.^^s Sybil Mose- 
ley, daughter of Pliny Moseley, in 1820, and sailed 



108 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

with her, with the first corps of missionaries, to the 
Sandwich Islands. After spending the greater part 
of their lives in the service, they returned here, on 
account of her ill health, and she has since died. He 
married afterw^ards Miss Naomi Morse, daughter of 
Jacob Morse of this town. Mr. Bingham has died 
within a few months. 

The toasts to the farmers of Westfield found no 
response. 

Mr. George Stowe sung an original song, bristling 
with most effective and resounding elocution, which 
elicited great applause. We give the words entire, 
but the elocution we can not give : 

BI-CENTENNIAL. 

Tune: — " Co-ca-che-lunk." 

I. 

We are gathered 'round this table 

On this Bi-Centennial day; 
Each and all should now be able 

Here to have their little say; 
Noble ones and Blood relation, 

Not excepting Snow and Thayer, 
Gathered here from every station, 

Fear not any Fowler's snare. 

Chorus. — Cocachelunk-chelunk-chelaly, 
Cocachelunk-chelunk-chelay ; 
Cocachelunk-chelunk-chelaly, 
Hi! O chicachelunk-chelay. 

II. 

All your Ahhott-5h.v^ may feel, sir, 

Quite submissive to our fates. 
Just down there we go to Kneil, sir, 

And up there we go for Bates. 
Years ago we made our pledges, 

Kept them when was no mishap, 
Here and there a Bush or Hedges, 

Knight or Day we had a Knapp. 
Chorus. 



PROCEEDINGS AT TABLE. 109 



III. 
Smiths arc num'ruus everywhere, sir, 

Here are White and Black and Brown ; 
Johnson with liis organs rare, sir. 

Tunes his pipes in many a town: 
We'll unite in Stevens' chime, sir. 

We'll press Gilletl's friendly hand; 
While we have our Morse on time, sir. 

Isn't it time for Gilmore's band? 

CUOKUS. 

IV. 

We have Shepherds without Crook's, sir, 

Wo have Farmers, Young and old, 
'Tis recorded in the books, sir, 

W^e the Champion cattle hold; 
Here's one Foote, and by the Powers, sir, 

Fuller measure give who can ; 
No nine Taylors such as ours, sir, 

Are required to make one man. 
Chokus. 

V. 
Silver street had its own Stiles, sir, 

Bulls once dwelt where now grows Rice; 
Farther on, within two miles, sir, 

Norton's Miller toU'd the price; 
Where's the family of Lord, sir? 

Hoyal names don't seem to stay, 
One excei>tion, — 'pon my word, sir. 

We have Jo-King here to-day. 
Chorus. 

VI. 
'Mongst the Boise there wa.s a Ladd, sir, 

W^e this day have heard his voice; 
All about the Field are glad, sir, 

Moore than Little we rejoice; 
Hours of Bliss, of joy and pleasure. 

W^e upon this Green have pass'd. 
Grant we may those mcm'ries treasure. 

While the " Sands of life " shall la.st. 
Chorus. 

VII. 
Deeply we regret, this day, sir. 

That the flood-fiend, far and near. 



110 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

Has kept scores of friends away, sir, 
We'd rejoice to welcome here. 

By the flood, if this Hull town, sir, 
Post and Root had been laid bare, — 

All the Gates and Barrs thrown down, sir. 
We At-water would not swear. 
Chorus. 

VIII. 

Waters Rising have subsided, 
We will Lay aside our fears, 
Aud by friends this day be guided, 
Till the ' ' Dewey eve " appears. 
jj Now I've had my little say, sir, 

II I have had my little blow, 

Now for Westfield I do pray, sir, 
Three good cheers on her h^-Stow. 
Chorus. 
Westfield, Mass., October, 1869. 

The following verses were composed for the occa- 
sion, by Mrs. J. M. Loomis: 

BI-CENTENNIAL. 

We meet, a landmark here to place, 
j O'er records old to linger. 

And snatch the grace of ancient race, 
From Time's corroding finger. 

To take the pilgrim staff of friends. 

Our hands the need supplying; 
Love's service tends to blessed ends, 

Who gives nor takes denying. 

To roam the vales and climb the steep, 

And wander on together, 
Love's tryst to keep till shadows creep. 

And hands unclasp forever. 

The dear old mother, missing each 

Lost step, with precious savor 
Bids flowers teach in subtle speech. 

Of her unending favor. 

Thus breath of rose recalls the grace 
Of one, so well that sleepeth ; 



rROCEEDINGS AT TABLE. Ill 

And lilies trace the tender face, 
For which a mother wccpeth. 

We banisi) every care to-day, 

All thoughts but true and tender; 
Tlu' mystic ray that lights our way, 

No poet speech can render. 

Through Memory's land, with footstepa fleet. 

Our hearts within us burning; 
What perftimes sweet where press our feet ! 

No sense but ours discerning. 

Ye Olden Tyme ! with forehead bare, 

We give thee reverent greeting ! 
Thy haunted air holds visions rare. 

From fond souls never fleeting. 

Old winding paths of other times. 

With June's wild roses wasting 
Where fragrant vines distill their wines 

To finer sense than tasting. 

Where busy *mart, sweet shrubs and grass 

As in the old time morning, 
Trip lad and lass through dewy pass; 

To drive the cows at dawning I 

For grass-grown way and simple heart. 

Rude altars served for pleading; 
Nor asked a part in piles of art, 

Only God's service heeding. 

Tliis from a dame, whose honored lips 

Lend words such grace and sweetness, 
Though story heard of song of bird. 

Will lack the song's completeness. 

Two hundred years ! 'tis noontide light 

In hoary old world's story; 
When mailed knight, with armor dight. 

Went forth in quest of glory : 

Anti(iue to us, and humbly taught; 

Dim down time's vista beaming, 
The simple thought, so quaintly wrought. 

In lettered stones is gleaming. 



•The villagers formerly used the " Green " as a cow paj^ture. 



112 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

Aye ! humbly taught, for ruthless deeds 

Claim royal minster's splendor; 
For kingly deeds how few the meeds 

Most meet to kings to render. 

The starry heavens for every one, 

Peasant nor prince divining; 
The blessed sun his course doth run, 

Nor heed for whom he's shining. 

We'll walk the paths of sweet content. 

Where happy birds are singing; 
None e'er lament, who pitch their tent, 

Where peace's soft bells are ringing. 

This simple pilgrim shrine we set; 

Unwritten by the sages. 
Where storms shall fret and soft dews wet, 

A way-mark for the ages. 
Westfield, Oct. 6, 1869. 

The following was contributed by Miss Sara M. 
Kneil : 

Lo ! glad we come with happy hearts 

That loud thanksgiving raise. 
To greet the past in days that are, 

And walk in ancient ways. 

We bid our feet in reverence pause. 

Lest treading holy ground; 
We listen for the song and speech 

That bear the olden sound. 

We look once more on faces dear, 

We clasp again firm hands. 
And pledge anew the friendship, love 

Makes strong, with golden bands. 

One home to-day, — one mother ours; 

While all the arches ring, 
The children of her ardent love 

United praises sing. 

Though distant far, and absent long, 

Our hearts are still as one; 
The truer love, the stronger faith, 

Proclaim a loyal son. 



PROCEEDINGS AT TABLE. 113 

As in the sunshine of to-day, 

Tlie centuries' jtatli we trace, 
We mark how end an<l jirogrcsfl show 

The Lord's abundant grace. 

Through all our hearts with one accord, 

A common gladness runs, 
That brave and wise the fathers were, 

And we are called their sons. 

Our heritage so largo and fair — 

Its wealth is never told, 
It lies not in our goodly lands, 

Nor yet in counted gold. 

In memories of the bravest lives. 

In deeds of no])lcst men, 
In teachings of the true and just 

To-day renewed again. 

We widely boast of honored store, 

And ask for naught beside, — 
The most of wealth, the best of good, 

Are ne'er to us denied. 

May He who loves his children well. 

Grant now the help they crave, 
That, still untarnished, they transmit 

The gift their fathers gave. 

The centuries meet! — may all the good 

And honor two have known, 
Be welcome gifts to greet the third, 
And her with blessings crown. 

O bygone days I days to come ! 

May yet your paths be one, 
And children's children crown the work 

The fathers' hands begun. 

Westfield, Sept. 29, 1869. 

The following sentiment was volunteered by a wor- 
thy son of Westfield, residing in the city of New 
York, who was unable to be pre.sent, William L. At- 

15 



114 WESTFIELD Bl-CENTENNIAL. 

water, Esq., cashier at A. T. Stewart's. A letter from 
him will be found in the aj^pendix. 

Bj an Emigrant son of Westfield, and an active 
member of a new York " Can't-get-away Club." 

GOOD HIGHWAYS. 

Thej have been declared by high and almost universal authority to 
be the index of the highest civilization. It follows that those, who 
make good roads and keep roads good, are the most civilized of men, 
as well as benefactors to the world of travelers. It is therefore emi- 
nently proper to commemorate one, who for many years was Westfield's 
most efficient Commissioner of Highways, giving a large part of his 
time and counsel as a voluntary service. He had a settled prejudice 
against stones, large or small, obstructing or throwing discomforts in the 
pathway of life. I offer the memory of Elijah Bates. 

FIRE-WOKKS. 

The display of fire-works under the direction of the 
Executive Committee, in the evening, on Moseley's 
Park on Main street, was finer than is often seen out- 
side the limits of a large city, and certainly surpassed 
anything ever witnessed in this vicinity. The whole 
affair was a decided success in spite of the water- 
soaked land, and the tardy arrival of railroad trains. 
Much of the success however, was due to the interest 
taken, and the exertions made in its behalf by Mr. 
A. T. Rand, formerly of this town. The people who 
densely thronged the streets leading to the place of 
exhibition, were courteous and kind ; and notwith- 
standing the thick darkness which brooded over us, 
in the absence of the usual gas-lights, unfortunately 
extinguished by the freshet, the good nature and pleas- 
ant humor of the crowd, who were jostling each other 
to find standing room, was very noticeable and enjoy- 
able ; and if disaster and disappointment bring such 
results, we shall welcome them hereafter. 



PROCEEDINGS AT TABLE. 110 

The exhibition opened with the burning of colored 
lights, wliich revealed the large pieces })rep{ired for 
the delight of the multitude. Silent and still they 
stood, like spectres awaiting the magic touch which 
should wake them to life. Then followed a fine dis- 
play of rockets, Roman candles, mines, etc. 

The first large piece was the "Harp of Iris," dis- 
played in changing colors, after wiiich came shell fired 
from a brass mortar. These burst in the air with a 
heavy explosion, scattering stars of every color. Af- 
ter more rockets, fired singly and in groups, also Ro- 
man candles, colored lights, etc., came "a moving star," 
which at first fixed, soon commenced revolving with 
increased velocity till it exhausted itself After an- 
other plentiful bombardment of the sky, by rockets, 
Roman candles, etc., the ^'Yankee Windmill" ap- 
peared, reminding one of the mills seen on the sea- 
shore for pumping water. This was followed by 
''Spider Legs," a very comical contrivance, which 
reached its feet and legs ever forward in its revolu- 
tions. 

At about this time the cry of fire was raised, and 
the surging of the multitude seeming to those em- 
ployed in exhibiting the works, to be in the direction 
of the burning house, they brought the exhibition to 
a close by firing the "grand architectural piece," some 
seventy-five feet in length, and thirty feet in height. 
This consisted of a base almost ten feet in height, on 
either side of which reclined the representatives of 
Forest and Civilization. The latter with whip in hand, 
having a local significance. On I he pedestal the word 
•• Woronoco," was brilliantly set forth. Above these 
principal figures were — IGGO — ISOO; ai)ove that, in 
arch, the word "Westfield," thirty feet in length, sup- 



116 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

ported by a full battery of Roman candles. On either 
side of the central piece were columns surmounted 
by coronets, discharging stars and colored lights. 
This piece as seen before the exhibition, by the col- 
ored lights, was really very fine, but in the grand 
finale exceeded even the anticipations of the most ex- 
pectant beholders, 

SOCIAL PARTY AT THE HOUSE OF WILLIAM G. BATES. 

Invitations were extended to the guests of the town 
to assemble at the dwelling-house of Mr. Bates, on the 
evening of the 6th ; and preparations were made for 
their reception. A large concourse of people went 
to the brow of the hill on Main street, to witness the 
fire-works, — an exhibition which others failed to wit- 
ness, on account of the fatigues of the day. It was 
expected that there would have been a general at- 
tendance at Mr. Bates' ; but, after the close of the 
pyrotechnic display, the fire alarm was given, and 
the buildings of Mr. W. C. Holcomb, at the foot of 
Pine hill, in Court street, were found to be in flames. 
The vivid brightness of the illumination called away 
a large portion of the people to the scene of the dis- 
aster ; and when the conflagration was subdued, the 
greater part of them returned to the houses of their 
kindred. As it was, quite a pleasant and agreeable 
company assembled, enjoying the pleasures of social 
converse, and partaking of the hospitalities which 
were provided. Every one seemed to enjoy to the 
full, the whole of the exercises, and to rejoice in the 
happy thought, which had inspired the convocation. 
The storm, the disarrangement of the plans, the re- 
tardation of the assembling of old citizens, the keep- 
ing back of so many old friends, whom we, and our 



rnorEEDiNGS at table. 117 

guests alike, desired to meet and welcome, was sonie- 
thing of a damper upon the exultation of the party ; 
but, in the meeting itself, of so many old and valued 
friends, so long separated, and whom many never ex- 
pected to meet again ; the meeting of them here, — 
AT HOME ! the inspiring thought, which had been 
called forth by the performances, and by the perva- 
ding spirit of the occasion, seemed to render the day 
one, almost, of unalloyed happiness ; and it was the 
remark of more than one of the guests, who had trav- 
eled many hundreds of miles to greet his kindred, 
that he should go back to his own happy home with 
the remembrance of having passed one of the happi- 
est days of his life. 

Thus terminated the sixth day of October, A. D. 
1869, a day long to be remembered by thousands of 
our present and former citizens. For ourselves, we 
felt proud of our town. We had felt gratified be- 
fore, at the unanimity of our citizens in inaufruratiuLi; 
and carrying forward the celebration ; but we felt a 
new enthusiasm, when we found what a feeling of 
gratified enjoyment had been inspired by its liberal- 
ity, in the hearts of so many of its returned sons and 
daughters 

RECEPTION AT CAPTAIN LUCIUS F. THAYER'S. 

A fitting and most pleasant feature of the bi-cen- 
tennial celebration was the social gathering at the 
residence of Lucius F. Thayer, Esq., on Silver street, 
Thursday evening, the 7th inst. The railway trains 
oftliat morning and during the day brought many 
persons who were not able to be present at the fes- 
tivities of the preceding day. owing to the interrup- 
tion of travel caused bv tlio storm and llooil. .iikI Mr. 



118 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

Thayer, true to a prompt, generous and wide awake 
nature, decided to open his capacious mansion and 
invite all such, and as many others as chose, to come 
to a social re-union. The result was one of the most 
agreeable gatherings of the occasion. Old friends 
and acquaintances were happy in reviving the sweet 
memories of youthful days. The school boys and 
girls of days long past, whose locks were silvered over, 
whose forms were bent and whose steps were not as 
elastic as of yore, then lived their childhood days over 
again, and seemed to warm with youthful fire and 
animation as the exploits of the past came up in re- 
view. Fire-works which had not been used the pre- 
vious evening, owing to the alarm of fire, were dis- 
played on the lawn in front of the house. Roman 
candles, sky rockets, shooting and revolving stars, 
wheels, etc., etc., contributed to the general joy, and 
made the hours short and felicitous. 

Among the hundreds present, it may be invidious 
to mention the names of any, as at best we can give 
but few. Yet we recall, with pleasure, the radiant 
faces of Joseph W. and Reuben King, Esqs., of Illi- 
nois, who fill honorable and influential positions in 
their adopted State, representing as they do, one of 
the most ancient families of the town ; of the stately 
and thoughtful Frederick Sacket, Esq., of Chicago, 
who, starting in life as a humble mechanic has carved 
out for himself a position at the bar in that city which 
can be filled only by talents of the highest order ; of 
the genial and sunny Henry W. Bates, Esq., of New 
York, with wife and sister, Mrs. Warner, children of 
Elijah Bates of fragrawt and precious memory; of 
Rev. Dr. S. Ely, of Roslyn, L. I., of fine physique and 
cultured mind who gave us a neat and chaste speech 



PROCEEDINGS AT TAHLE. 110 

at the dinner tal)le ; of D. B. Mosely, F]sq.. tlio ac- 
coniplished editor, and liis brother, the publisher oi' 
the Belirjious Herald, Hartford, Conn. ; of Rev. Jolm 
Cadwell with a life of .successful toil as a Christian 
minister; and of K M. West, Es(i., a wealthy banker 
of Illinois, who had allied himself to tlie ''ancient 
and honorable" Atwater family by marriage and was 
here to represent it as well as himself. And so we 
might go on, but time and space forbid. They came 
and they have gone, but the memories of the occasion 
still linger in refreshing sweetness. 



Appt'iHlix 



INCORPORATION OF WESTFIELD— MAY 28. 1669. 

Si'KiNOFKiLD, Att a Townc Meeting fTol). 2il, 106.'^. Ujipon yc Motion 
of ye Inlialtitants at Worronoco This Town being willing to prniotc & 
further their desire of being a Township of Themselves, (amongst other 
graunts to them did &c) Doe leave tlie Inhabitants there to themselves 
to mannajre tlieir own matters, or as the Hounord Genie Corte shall 
further Order : And we hope the Corte will see cause to Order them to 
be a Township & that they through the favcy of God may grow up into 
a comfortable society, & bee a happy Neighbourhood to Us & Our 
tlreinds & Thoires. 

This is a true Coppy of the Town Ordr vizt., soc much of it as is 
eoncerQing the releasing of Woronoco from Springfeild. 

Taken out of ye Town Records 

By mee Elizuk IIolyoke Recorder. 

(B. 112, P. 193.) 



There being a motion made to this Court in ye behalfc of ye Iniiab- 
itants at Woronoake belonging to Springfeild, That they may be a 
Towneship of ymselves : Springfeild being willing thcretoe as appoares 
by Coppy of an order of that Towne under their Recorders hand 
heretoe anexed. Leaving Woronoak to ymselves & referring ym to 
this Court : This Court (therefore) Doth hereby Grant them to be a 
Towne.ship, & allows them all Priveledges according as other Townes 
have in this Collony, And that yc Sd Towne be called Westfcild : 

The magists have past this their brethren the Deputys hertto 
consenting. 

28 May 1GG9. Edwaku HkviSos Secty. 

Consented to by the Deputyes, 

W II, I.I AM ToiiKKY Cleric. 

(U. 112. 1'. 19.;.) 
If, 



122 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

" THE BOUNDS OF WESTFEILD." 

Springfeild ; Aprill 14tli 1G70. 
Wee whose names are here subscribed being a Comittee appojnted 
bj the Town of Springfeild for ye laying out of the quantity of Six 
miles Square graunted to Westfeild by the Honnord Genii Corte have 
attended the said Work and therefore doe hereby declare how Their 
said quantity of land shall lye, that is to say the said quantity of land 
is laid out to them five mile broad at ye Northerly end thereof extend- 
ing from a pine tree marked at ye East Mountayne to a white oake 
marked at ye West Mountayne, & it runneth in length Southerly Nine 
Mile that is to say from the said Pine tree holding the course of the 
South South West poynt uppon ye Meridian compass : And at the 
Southerly end of their Nine Mile their limitts are ffoure miles broad 
Westward : And the Ledge of Mountaynes is to be the bounds between 
Springfeild & Westfeild : wthin this tract of land their is conteyned the 
quantity of about three Square miles of land granted before by Spring- 
feild to Westfeild, & about the quantity of Two square miles in reference 
to the farmes of the Worthy Major Atherton deceased & Capt. Clapp. 
EuzuR HoLYOKE George Coulton 

Samuell Marshfeild Rowland Thomas. 



The Deputyes approve of this returne sd Honor'd raagists Consent- 
ing hereto. 

William Torrey Cleric. 
The Magists Consent hereto. 

Edw. Rawson Secrety. 

[Massachusetts Archives, vol. 112, page 201.] 
commonwealth of jsiassachusetts, 

Secretary's Department, | 
Boston, Aug. 28, 18G9. j 
A true copy, 

Oliver Warner, 
Secretary of the CommonweaUh. 



EXTRACTS FROM THE WESTFIELD RECORDS BETWEEN 
1G58 AND 16G9, INCLUSIVE. 

The extracts and dilapidated leaves show the following grants of land, 
and the names of the following persons, as inhabitants, at the dates 
mentioned : 

1658, December 17 — A grant to "Ensigne Tho. Cooper" on the 
north side of Woronoco River. 



AITKXDIX, 



123 



\CM\ Man-li in — A Gjraiit to IVa Ham. Chapman, "20 or HO anres" 
on tlio cast side "of tlu; si-rond lirook, that is this sido of 'llio. (Viop- 
er's," running from the river to thu hill. 

IGGl, Feliruary I'.t — .V L^rant to ('a|tt. l^yn<'lion, Rolit. A.-hley and 
Geo. Colton, the forfeited land of Jona. and John (jilhert, of the 
"low lands between the river and the hills." 

KtO?. January I) — Grants confirmed to Geo. Phelps, Lsaac Phclj)S, 
Capt. Cooke, iMr. Cornish, Moses Cook, Thos. Dewey, Thos. Noble, 
David Ashley, Mr. John Ilolyoke, John ()sl)orne. At the same time, 
Capt. Cooke, Thos. Dewey, John Williams, John Saeket, John Pon-. 
dor, David Ashley and Mr. Cornish were appointed to view and appor- 
tion the fcncinn;, «S:c. 

1(")(')7, March 2 — Thos. Noble, David Ashley and John Root pe- 
titioned for an addition of two rods in width, each, to their hoit^c- 
lots west of "Indian fort." 

On petition of Geo. Fyler, a hou.se-lot of <"> acres was granted him 
" next to John Root's, or next but one," and an addition of 2 rods in 
breadth, on that side of the river by the Indian fort. Also ') acres at 
Fort meadow. "The 3.) acres of land on the north side of Woronoco 
River "above the cellars," still undisposed of, next to Geo. Fyler's for- 
mer srant, it is civcn to Walter Lee, Andirosc Fowler, Geo Saxtnn, 
Jona. Alvord." 

I(i07. March 12 — 'Ihe iidiabitants, living "at the cellars," request- 
ing it, Geo. Phelps and John Williams were appointed to lay out 
a highway across "the wett meadow under the hill," "to tiie pyno 
playncs." 

John Bancroft was granted 30 acres, and a house-lot, on the Fort- 
side. 

Dr. Davis speaks of a design to call the town " Streamfield," on 
account of the number of its streams and rivers. The Reconl of 1 1 
August, 1G68, speaks of a meeting at "Streamfield;" and it wa.s 

1. " Voted unanimously that we will looke out for a minister to carry 
on the worke of God in this place. 

2. It is voted by all the inhabitants and planters present that they will 
allow to a minister the sum of forty pounds for the first yoare. 

3. It is voted that the said sum lie raysefl for the present (until the 
company are settled here together and .so long as they shall agree) vp»)n 
the lands. 

■1. It is voted that wco looke at our selves as free and at liberty to 
seekc out according as God shall guide vs for a Minister tu carry on 
the worke of Christ here." 



124 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

1668, August 27 — A grant was made to " Jcdidiah Dewey 15 or 16 
acres of land viz the remaynder of Weller lott, & a home lott." 

Also to Israel Dewey 8 acres on the Fort side. 

Iy868, Jan. 21 — It was voted, "that Mr. Fiske's continuance in the 
ministry be earnestly desired." 

" Also that wee will & doe ingage suitable mayntainance according 
as God shall inable us for the future & for the present what is already 
ingaged viz 40. £ for the 1st. yeare." They also voted "to disbufse 
40 £ for building a house for the minister, & that the meeting-house 
be set on the Fort-side." 

1668, March 18 — A division of the territory was made into three 
parts, and lots were cast for it. In the first division, the lands were 
allotted as follows: 1. Thomas Gunn ; 2. David Ashley; 3. John 
Ponder; 4. Sergeant Stebbins ; 5. Mr. Joseph Whiting; 6. Wm. 
Brookes (alias Israel Dewey) ; 7. Thomas Bancroft ; 8. Hugh Dudley ; 
9. Isaac Phelps; 10. George Phelps; 11. Thomas Bootes; 13. 
Thomas Noble. 

There were grants also made to other persons in 1668 and 1669, 
viz. : to John Sacket, John Ingersoll, Fyler, Capt. Cooke, Josiah 
Dewey, John Osborne, (the latter was near his house), Mr. Fiske and 
Thomas Handchitt. 

A grant of Sackett's creek was also made to Mr. Whiting and Da- 
vid Ashley to set a mill on to grind corn, and the land about it for a 
pasture ; and for their encouragement 100 acres for them to choose not 
less than three miles from the meeting-house. 

I have been thus particular in making these extracts, as they tend to 
establish the opinion, stated in the address, on page 49, in reference to 
the progress of the settlement here, at the time of the incorporation of 
the town. It thus appears that grants were made to 34 persons, and 
all of them but three, are elsewhere named in the records, as living 
here, or having other permanent establishments. 

It seems, also, that, in January, 1667, a committee of seven persons 
was appointed to view and apportion the fencing, &c. We should con- 
sider this, as " a committee of the whole," if the people of Woronoco 
were not more numerous, than is stated by Dr. Davis and Dr. Holland. 



REMONSTRANCE OF WESTFIELD AGAINST ORDER TO 
ABANDON THE SETTLEMENT— APRIL 3, 1676. 

The following letter is the one referred to in the address, from the 
committee of the town of Westfield, in reply to the intimation or "the 



AI'PKXDIX. 125 

orders in pnuncil " to remove from town, and concentrate the pojnila- 
lation of the vicinity, at Springfield. The copy is accurately made Ity 
Mr. Pul.sifer, of the Secretary's office. 

" Westfeild letter 
.3 ApriU Rec'd 
28 Aprill '7(; " 

Ilonrd CounciU : We Presume a Second time to trouble ye Wor- 
ships with a few lines, Ifor having ca.st orselves, upon ye Honored Coun- 
sell.s concerning or ahiiling here, or removing hence & for that End 
having faithfully represented our State unto you we were in Expecta- 
tion of hearing yr advice. But at la.st perceiving yr thoughts by yo 
Order you gave Unto Maj. Generall Savage the wch in pt we have at- 
tended upon, viz., to gather op ye mindes of or town respecting or 
remoove where we made such an offer as this to any that should come to 
vs, that we would deny orselves to accomodate between twenty & 
thirty families of or Present tillage land if so many would come to 
vs & that during ye continuance of ye troubles : yo which in a town 
meeting was judged by all that We could do ; But when or Com- 
mitee, came to Consult with or Neighbour towns, although singly, 
& apart it was generally thought .strange that Springfield should b<i 
judged a better, & more Convenient place for ftbrtificatiou than We.st- 
fiold, they rather was silent, or moving for or remove to Sprini^ticld. 
the wch was & is altogether against or inhabitants, insomuch that 
there is not a man among vs hath any ye least inclination to remove 
that way, & in that there is an intimation of such a thing in yr Ilimrd 
Order to ye Generall, as if Springfield &c : was fittest for ffortification, 
with great respect vnto yc Information we cannot but take ye boldness 
as to intimate ye grounds of or thoughts to ye Contrary, as, 1. Its 
Situation lying on both sides of ye great River Connecticut, whose 
East Side is voyd of habitations being but a very few left, & those a 
great distance asunder thitse on yo West side being scattered above a 
mile up & down some of which are hid witli brandjlcs, & ils for its til- 
lidge ground ye most being a great distance from ye town & not cleare 
from brush in some places of it & to it, in .so much as an iiidifTerent 
person cannot but judge (as we suppose) yt ye Danger i.s double in 
mannaging fTield imploym'nt: to what ors is. 2. Its Preparation, It is 
a Place (with griefe of heart bo it spoken) nu»st of ye Vm^I side in 
ashesi, vnbuilt & vnfortified vnlese some few hou.'»es. 3. It.s Provi- 
dcntiall I)i.spen.sati(in. It hath been sorely under ya bla.sting hand of 
God, So that it hath but in a lower degree than ordinary answered ye 
labour of ye Husbandman, & sometimes his labour on it is wholely cast 



126 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

away, now these thoughts are very discouraging vnto all thoughts of 
or removall thither, for to remove from Habitations to none, from ffor- 
tifications to none, from a Compact and plain place to scatter 'd, from a 
place of lesse danger in ye ffield to ye more, from a place under ye or- 
dinary Blessing vpon ovr Labours to one vsually blasted, seems to vs 
such a strange thing that we finde not a man amongst vs inclining there- 
to, wherefore being by ye Honord Councill at Hartford, vpon address 
for strength from them, yt wth their own necessities could not dis- 
pence with, adviced not to desert ye place as yet, we are determined 
to draw in or out Garrison houses, and to Contract or fFortification 
into ye Compass of about 70 rods long, ye wich or thoughts are 
to fFortifie strongly and to keep with five flankers, and for this end ovr 
earnest suit is that you would allow vs, if, it may bee a garrison of 
thirty souldiers, we are not without hope of gaining some Corn for our 
families as yet. But if you cannot allow any, then or present thoughts 
are that if we cannot have a safe Convoy from ye town to some place 
downward, it is judged that we had better abide here in or flfortifica- 
tion thus strengthened, and that although we have no help from abroad, 
with respect to or own safety than to go to Springfield. It grieves 
vs that we should object so much against Springfield for ye Worshipfull 
Maj'r Pynchon's sake, But we judge there is a better way for his safety 
than this, & although we would do much for his sake, yet we cannot 
adventure on this ground into such great hazzard as appears. Here 
are some yovxng men with vs its said would inlist themselves in Coun- 
try service to garrison if they could be admitted, whom necessity will 
force from vs if it cannot be. 

Ffurthermore, we are at ye Present altogether incapacitated for any 
removall, by reason of ye awfuU hand of God upon us in Personall 
visitations?, for here came a souldier sick of ye Bloody fflux, and dying 
amongst vs in Capt. Cook's family, hath infected ye ffamily therewith 
in somuch that he hath lost a son of it, his Wife lies at ye point of 
Death his youngest son is very weak of it, and he him selfe is almost 
brought to his bed by it, & there is another ffamily in his house hath it. 
We hope yr Worships will Pardon or teadiousness, & give or arguments 
a Patient hearing for surely it is against vs to say as we do, if great dan- 
ger did not stare us in ye fface. The Good Lord Sanctifie, and deliver 
vs. We remain 

Yr Servants, & Suppliants 

in the name of the Towne. 

Isaac Phelps, 
David Asiilt, 
West field, 3, 2>n. 1G7G, Josiaii Dewey. 



Ari'KNDIX. 



We had a garrison all winter of about .'}<• souldiers, but we have no 
incouragment of them, & many are withdrawn & all of them Sinec 
yir Capt, is returned shew hard to get oft' & by one after one they 
are come almost to twenty, & we cannot have any promise, nor 
iiioouragennit of any. 



PETITIOX FOR A (JKANT OF THE NEW ADDITION, (),(» 10 
ACRES. JANl'ARY IJ, 17:JU. 

To His K.xcellency Jonathan IJelcher, Ksij., Capt. Gencrall and 
Governor within & over his Majestie's Province of the Mas.><achusetts 
IJay in New England, the Honorable the Council, & the Honorable the 
House of Representatives in Gencrall Court Assembled. 

The Hund)le Petition of Thomas Ingorsolc, Representative of the 
Town of of Westfield, Sheweth : 

That he is directed by his principalis the Town of Westfield, to Shew 
to your JCxcellency and Honorrs, that the Bounds of their Town- 
ship West »)t North-westerly, as they now Stand, are to the Top or 
ridge of the mountain which is verry uncertain In that in some places 
the Top or Ridge Can't be known. lu some other places the Ridge 
or Top Is a Mile West of the Kidgc In other places and therefore verry 
Crooked and uncertain. Now May it plea.se your E.Kcellency and 
Honours the Case so Stands that the Bounds of the said Town of 
Westfield may be made Certain By Granting to the Proj)rietors of said 
Town the Land Between said Bounds and the Townshij) granted to 
the proprietors of the Town of Suffield and the land laid out to the 
Heirs of James Taylor Esq deceased the Land contained Between 
wirK-h Bounds is about six Thousand acres and is in some places a mile 
and Half wide and in some places but a few Rods and then your Pe- 
titioners prays they may Run a Line from the South West Corner of 
Northampton town bounds to the Nor East Corner of Suffield ])roprie- 
tors Inmnds then going a Long that Township Round the Isanti laid out 
to said Taylor's heirs to the South East Comer bounds and then run- 
ning a Parralel line with the South line of sd proprietors Township 
East 22 1) : G. south to the .said Town.ship of Westfield the Lands 
Contained within wich is very broken Land fit for Nothing el.se but 
Hiibago now your Petitioners has these rea.son to oft'er to enduce this 
llnnble Court to grant .s.1 Laud. 

And 1 ye Inhabitants of said Town are .settled on Intervel Meadows 
ami there is almost no feeding Laml In s;iid Township for the Cattle 
and sheep to feed on. 



128 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

21y the people of said Town have alwayes yed Leved fronteers in the 
West part of this Province and suffered much by the Indian Wars. 

Sly It will Render the Bounds of the said Town Certain, and preju- 
dice no Town or person. 

4thly the Petitioners Will Engage that the Grantee shall make and 
maintain for Ever a Good Cart Way where the Road now runs or near 
that To the said Township Granted of the proprietors of SuflSeld which 
will be a Considerable benefitt to the publick there being three Towns 
Westward now Setled or Setling and four more Lately Granted west- 
ward to be Setled In a Short Space which Rode is the publick and 
Common post Rode always before Used to Albany And your Pettition 
Shall as In Duty Bound Eaver pray. 

Thomas Ingersole. 

In the House of Representatives, July 3d, 1736. Read and 
Ordered that the prayer of the petition be granted and the Lands therein 
delineated and described be and hereby are accordingly given and granted 
to the proprietors of the said town of Westfield their heirs & assigns 
respectively provided the Grantees do forthwith or as soon as may be 
open and Constantly keep in repair hereafter a good & safe Cart way 
over the granted premises in the road that leads from Westfield to 
Housatonnoc commonly called the Albany Road provided also this 
Grant does not prejudice the grants latety made and laid out to the 
Heirs of the late Treasurer Mr James Taylor deceased at the pond 
called ten miles pond, the said Grantees concluding not to hold the 
same, but it is to be esteemed and looked upon as among the upper 
Housatonnoc Equivalent; and also that part of the Grant of seven 
hundred acres of Land to the heirs of the late Reverend Mr John 
Williams of Deerfield deceased which may or does fall within the lines 
of the prayed for premises according to the plat lately passed and con- 
firmed by this Court ; and also that this grant does not exceed the 
quantity of six thousand acres of Land exclusive of the said provisos 
and does not interfere with any or former Grant. C Add-Provided 
also That the Grantees do, as soon as may be, lay out two hundred 
Acres of the granted premises for the present minister of the said 
Town his heirs and assigns, two hundred acres for the ministry and one 
hundred acres for the school forever and return a Plat of the Prem- 
ises and the Sequestrations before mentioned, to this Court within twelve 
months for confirmation. 

Sent up for Concurrence. 

J. QuiNCY, Speaker. 



APPENDIX. 



129 



In Council January 12, \7'M). 

llcacl and Concurred with the anieiidnicnt at C. 

Sent down for Concurrence. 

J. WiLLAUD. 

In the House of Representatives, January lli, IT.'jri. 
Read ami Cdiicurrod. 

J. Qui.NCY, Speaker. 
15. Consented to. 

J. Belcuer. 

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



Secketaky's DeI'AKTMENT, ) 
Boston, September 2.5, 18(51). ) 



A true copy from Book of " Ancient Plans, Grants, &c.," vol. 3, 
page 99. 

Attest, Oliver Warner, 

Secretary of the Commonirealth. 

Plat returned and accepted by the General Court June 1<», 1737, 
.1,879 acres. 



THE DISTRIBUTION OF OUTER-COMJklONS, JULY 10, 1731-2. 



IliiusclioliU'rs. 

John Phelps, .... 
Job ^loadslcy, .... 
David Ashley, Jr., 
Dea. Shopard, .... 
Jona. Shepard, 
John Shepard, Jr., 
Jo.soph Dewey, 
David Noble, .... 
James Noble, .... 
Jed. Dewey's heirs, . 
Nehcini Loomas, . 
Benj. Loomas, .... 
Nathaniel Bancroft, . 
John Ponder, .... 
Capt. Ashley, .... 
Deliverance Church's heirs, 
David King, .... 
John liancroft, 
John Gunn, .... 
Jonathan Ashhy, . 

n 



Acros. 

190 

230 

37.") 

20 

38 

10:1 

38 

38 

122 

187 

1.5 

103 

55 

515 

48 

72 

215 

265 

113 



Honselioltlers. 



David Dewey, . 
Charles Dewey, 
L'^aac Dewey, . 



Ensinjn KellogK's heirs, 
Joseph Sacket, . 



Samuel Busli's heirs, . 

Thomas Gunn 

Matthew Noble, . . . 
Jo.«cph Root, .... 
Samuel Lee, .... 
Mark Warner's wife, . 
Josliuah Root's heirs, . 

James Sa.\ton 

Elx'nczer King, 

Widow Mary King's heirs, 

Elia-s Weller 

Aliiah WiHi.iius. ... * 
Nathaniel ^VilliaIns, . . 
Heirs of Nathaniel Williams 
John Sacket, Sm., 



Acri'8. 

G9 

r,9 

49 

185 

91 

145 

58 

125 

, 20G 

89 

40 

159 

149 

. 89 

49 

21!> 

, 30 

. 199 

. 99 
. 324 



130 



WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 



Householders. 
John Root, . 
Moses Root, 
Benony Sacket, 
Thomas Ashley, . 
Rev. Mr. Bull, . 
David Moadsley, . 
Samuel Root, . 
Consider Moadsley, 
Aaron Gunn, . 
Daniel Gunn, . . 
Stephen Kellogg, . 
James Dewey, 
John Fowler, Jr., 
Abraham Fowler, . 
Jacob Fowler, . 
Isaac Fowler, . 
John Lee, . 
John King's heirs, 
Thomas Ponder, . 
Samuel Loomas, . 
John Moadsley, 
Thomas Handchet, 
William Sacket, . 
Samuel Sacket, 
William Loomas, 
Dea. Ashley, . 
Isaac Phelps, . 
Aaron Phelps, . 
Ebenezer Bush, 
Samuel Fowler, Jr, 
Samuel Handchet, 
Nathaniel Phelps, 
Jonathan Fowler, . 

January 28, 1733-4 



Acres. 

. 187 
. 144 
. 81 
. 173 
. 36 
. 399 



Householders. 

Deacon Noble, . 
Thomas Noble, . . 
Edward Martindale, 
Thomas Pixley's heirs 
Samuel Noble, . . 
Thomas Dewey, . 

139 Daniel Bagg, . . 

324 Daniel Bagg, Jr., 

Sargeant Luke Noble, 
Mark Noble, . . 
Benjamin Sexton, . 
Heirs of Eben Pixley 
Thomas Ingersol, . 
James Ashley, 
Luke Noble, Jr., . 
Captain Dewey, 
Abijah Dewey, 
Haines Kinsley, 
Abel Cadwill, . . 
Nathaniel Lee, 
Samuel Fowler, Jr., 
Daniel Old, . . 
Samuel Kellogor, . 

Op' 

Isaac Stiels, 
Ephraim Stiels, 
Nathaniel Ponder, 
Samuel Bush, Sr., 
Ransford Old, . . 
Israel Dewey's heirs, 
Joseph Taylor, . 
Jonathan Phelps, . 
Samuel Old, . 
Eldad Taylor, . . 



298 

163 

298 

149 

190 

55 

40 

99 

187 

54 

64 

159 

384 

99 

199 

80 

125 

287 

89 

49 

199 

173 

182 

.37 

199 



Acres 

. 200 
. 79 
. 36 
. 89 
. 76 
. 125 
. 174 
. 84 
. 155 
. 199 
, 62 
. 50 
. 135 
. 163 
. 98 
. 174 
. 69 
. 265 
. 80 
. 49 
. 299 
. 10 
. 40 
. 30 
. 20 
. 60 
. 60 
. 20 
. 98 
. 98 
. 98 
. 12 
. 265 



It was voted " to divide the rest of the land 
in the inner-commons, which is not disposed of in said scheeme," ex- 
cepting what land is given to Sundary persons by way of Charraty, 
which are as foUoweth. 



Householders. 


Acres. 


Householders. 


Acres. 


Rev. Mr. Bull, . 


. . . 10 


Phillips Freeman, . . 


. . 10 


Matthew Noble, . 


. . . 10 


Joseph EglistOD, . . 


, . 10 



APPENDIX. 



i;;i 



IIoiiHclioltlero. 



Acres. 



John Hains, 






20 


Nathaniel Egliston, Jr. 


, . 




10 


Epliraim Sticls, .... 1(1 


John Root, Jr., ... 




10 


Isiac Stiles, li» 


Cliarles Coot.ses' heirs, 




10 


Hanford Old 10 


Thomas Gunn, .... 




15 


Daniel Old, K) 


Aron Phelps, .... 




10 


Elisha Old, 10 


Daniel NoUe 




10 


Nathaniel Lee, Sen., . . . 2<) 


Jonathan Phelps, . . . 




10 


Nathaniel Lee, Jr., . . . 10 


Thomas Ponder, . . 




10 


Daniel Granger, . . . 10 


Thomas Ilandchit, 




10 


Jonah Stiels, o 




At the same meeting, January 


2H, 1733-4, on a report of a com- 


niittee, the inner-commons were allotted at the rate of *' 2-acred of land 


to one £ real estate, and the List is 


as foUoweth: " 


lIouschoMers. Acrea. 


nousc'liiililtTs. Acres. 


Job Moadsley, 58 


Samuel Loomis, .... 38 


Lieut. Phelps, . 






57 


Thomas Pondor, . . . 


09 


David Ashley, Jr., 






40 


John Lee, . . . 






20 


Noah Ashley, . . 






15 


Isaac Fowler, . . . 






21 


John Shepard, Jr., 






10 


Aron Phelps, . . . 






14 


Joseph Dewey, 






31 


Samuel Fowler, 2d, . 






74 


Jude Dewey's heirs, 






. 12 


Daniel Old, . . . 






. 04 


John Punilor, . 






12 


Nathaniel Lee, . 






. 10 


Nehemiah Loomas, 






43 


Jonathan Phelps, . 






. 14 


Nathaniel Bancroft, 






. 33 


Jonathan Shephard, 






. 15 


Benjamin Loomis, 






03 


Joshua Loomas, 






. 10 


Deacon Shepard, . 






. G8 


Samuel Kellogg, . 






. 30 


Captain Ashley, . 






. 100 


Isaac Stiels, . . . 






. 10 


"Widow Church, . 






. 12 


E[ihraim Stiels, 






. 02 


John Gunn, 






."jj 


Nathaniel Pondor, 






. 20 


John Bancroft, 






. 43 


William Loomas, . 






. 40 


Lieut. Ashley, . 






. 83 


Benoni Sacket, 






. 07 


John Root, Sen., . 






. 37 


Edward Martindalc, 






. 10 


David King, . . 






. V2 


Adijah Dewey, 






. 28 


Stee[)hon NjlsIi, . 






. O.J 


Noah Pixley, . 






. 14 


Thomas Ashley, . 






. 35 


Thomas Dowoy, 






. 28 


Ensine Moadsley, . 






. '.to 


Daniel Bajre;, 

no' 






. 55 


^ Samuel Root, . 






. 20 


Daniel Bagg, Jr., 






. *17 


Lieut. Moadsley, . 






. M 


^lini.-tree Land, 






12 


Aaron (jiunii, . 






. (-.2 


Daniel Noble, . 






. 10 


Thomas Guud, . 






. 05 


Sargeant Luke Noble, 






. 35 



132 



WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 



Householders. 


Acres. 


Householders. 






Acres. 


Daniel Gunn, . . . 


. 33 


Abel Cadwill 06 


Ensine Taylor, . . 


. 52 


Hains Kinsley, 






53 


Stephen Kellogg, . 


. 83 


Capt. Dewey, . 






31 


James Dewey, . . . . 


. 31 


Luke Noble, Jr., 






16 


John Fowler, Jr., . . 


. 38 


James Ashley, . 






16 


Abraham Fowler, . . 


. 17 


John Ingersol, . 






29 


Jacob Fowler, . 


. 11 


Lieut. Ingersol, 






62 


Samuel Lee, 


. 23 


James Noble, . 






14 


Joseph Root, . . . . 


. 41 


Mark Noble, . . 






40 


Matthew Noble, . . 


. 32 


Benjamin Sexton, 






12 


John Root heirs, . 


. 30 


Deacon Noble, . . 






29 


Samuel Bushe's 2cl, heirs 


, . 30 


Israel Noble, . 






. 11 


Joseph Sacket, 


. 26 


Thomas Noble, . 






24 


Jona Fowler, . 


. 43 


Nathaniel Williams, . 




40 


Ensine Kellogg's heirs, 


. 37 


Sargeant Sacket, . . 


32-10 


David Dewey, . 


. 29 


John Sacket, Jr., . . 


16-5 


Samuel Handchit, . . 


. 34 


Daniel Sacket, . . . 


16-5 


Samuel Fowler, Sen., 


. . 40 


Nathaniel Williams' heirs 


, . 10 


Nathaniel Phelps, 


. 14 


Abial Williams, . . 


. 06 


Ebenezer Bush, 


. 40 


Sargeant Weller, . . 


. 47 


Deacon Ashley, . . 


. 70 


Eber King, 


. 25 


Isaac Phelps, . . . 


. 18 


James Sexton, . . . 


. 27 


William Sacket, . 


. 44 


James Sexton, Jr., 


. 07 


Samuel Sacket, 


. . 15 


Elijah Pixley, . , . 


. . 12 


Moses Root, . . . 


. 36 


Israel Dewey's heirs, . 


. 27 


Thomas Handchit, 


. . 27 


John King's heirs. 


. . 18 


John Moadsley, 


. . 79 


William Cark's heirs, 




. 16 



"FORTING" THE TOWN. 

COPY OF A VOTE, APRIL 27, 1747. 

"At a legal town meeting April 27, 1747, Opt. Thos. Ingersole 
' was chosen moderator for sd meeting at the same meeting it was voted 
'to Choose a Committy to Consider what measures to take about fort- 
'ing the Town, it was voted that the Commission OflScers and the 
'Selectmen and Doctor Ashley shall be the Committy to see what 
■ measures and what houses Should be forted and to make Report to the 
' town what is best to be done : att the same meeting it was voted to 
' pay a scout that may be sent by the Commission oflScers out after the 
' discovery of the enemy if the province will not pay them : at the 



APPENDIX. 133 

"same meeting it was voted that tbe Select-mon should be empowered 
"to jn-ovido a Schoolmaster uiitill the first day of April 174H. this 
"meeting was voted to be continued by adjournment untill Monday 
"next the 4. day of May : the town met at the time adjourned to and 
"the Committy Reported to the town that they were detennined it waa 
"best to make a fort Round Stephen Kclloggs house and Lieut Con- 
"sider Mosleys and Doct. Ashley house and one over the Little River 
•'and one over the great River and two watch boxes and to be done by 
"the town." 

The "Doctor Ashley house," spoken of in the above vote, was situ- 
ated in Silver Street at the south end of Noble Street, on the site of 
William Atkins' house. The building has been ra/ed within a few 
years, to make room for a modern structure. The ba.sc of the second 
story projected over the top of the first story, and the walls were forti- 
fied against musket-balls. The fort-hou.ses were situated in positions 
convenient fur the refuge of the inhabitants, in case of a hostile attack. 
The old Ingersoll house, now standing over Little River, is said to have 
been the one which was fortified, or "forted." 



PRICES OF ARTICLES AND LABOR, AS ESTABLISHED, 1777. 
The prices of the several articles hereafter mentioned, stated accord- 
ing to an act of the General Court of the State of the Massachusetts 
Bay, by the Selectmen and Committee of Correspondence of the Town 
of Westfield, March 2(1, 1777. 

Wheat, good merchantable wheat at 6s per bushel, 

Rye, good and merchantable at 4a-. per bushel, 

Lidian Corn, good and merchantable at 3s. per bushel, 

Oats, good and merchantable at 2s. j)cr bushel, 

Wool, good .sheep's wuol and washed at 2s. 3d. per lb., 

I'cirk, fresh pork under 180 lbs., at S^d. per lb.. 

Pork, fresh, from IHO to 2S0 lbs., at Ad. per lb., 

Pork, fresh, above 280 lbs., at 4^^/., 

Pork, salt and good, at SGs. per barrel. 

Reef, .salt and good, at G<Hs per barrel, 

Reef, good stall fed beef, at id., per lb., 

Reef, good gra.ss fed beef, at ."](/. per lb.. 

Hides, green hides, at 3rf. per lb., 

Calf-.skin.s, green, at Gt/. |)cr lb., 

Salt, go<Kl, at 20s. per bu.sliel. 

Rum, West India, rum, at I's. per gallon. 



£ 



s. 


d. 







4 








3 








2 








2 


3 










H 

4 



4 


(1 
G 





3 


H 











4 








3 





II 


3 








G 


1 











y 






134 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 



Rum, West India ram by the quart, at 2s. Gd., 

Rum, New England, at Gs. per gallon, 

Rum, New England by the quart, Is. 9c?., 

Sugar, good Muscovada sugar, at 70s per hundred. 

Sugar, per single lb., lOd. 

Molasses, good, at 5s. 4:d. per gallon, 

Chocolate, good, at 2s. Ad. per lb., 

Cheese, good, at Gd. per lb.. 

Peas and Beans, good and merchantable, at 7s. per bushel. 

Potatoes, at Is. 6c?. in the Fall and 2s. in the Spring, 

Stockings, good men's stockings, at 7s. per pair, 

Shoes, best men's shoes, at 9s. per pair. 

Shoes, women's of the best sort, at 7s. 6c?. per pair, 

Making a pair of men's shoes, at 4s. per pair. 

Cotton Wool, good cotton wool, at 4s. 6c?. per lb., 

Flax, good and well dressed, at Is. per lb., 

Coffee, at Is. 6c?. per lb.. 

Tallow, cleaned and tried, at 9o?. per lb., 

Tow Cloth, at 2s. 6c?. per yard — ^yard wide, 
Other tow cloth in proportion. 

Flannel — yard wide, at 3s. Gc?, per yard. 

Oak Wood, at 8s, per cord. 

Charcoal, at 25s. per one hundred bushels, 

Sole Leather, at Is. 5c?. per lb.. 

Curried Leather, usual proportion, at 

Mutton, Lamb and Veal, at 3c?. 

Wheat Flour, at 18s. per hundred, 

English Hay, at 4s. per hundred. 

Keeping a Horse, Is. Gc?. per night and day by hay, 

Team work with four cattle, 8s. per day. 

Plowing by the acre, at 6s. Go?., 

White Pine Boards, at 50s. per thousand, 

Yellow Pine Floor Boards, at 50s. per thousand. 

Reaping and Mowing, at 3s. 8c?. per acre. 

Common Labor, at 3s, per day, 

Farming Labor, 53s. for six months. 

Weaving common tow cloth, at 8d. per yard. 

Other weaving in proportion. 
Cooper's Labor, at 4s. 6c?. for good heart bbls., 
For Meal of Victuals, Is., 



£ s 


. d 







2 


G 





6 








1 


9 


3 10 








10 





5 


4 





2 


4 








6 





7 








7 








9 








7 


6 





4 








4 


6 





1 








1 


6 








9 





2 


6 





3 


6 





8 





1 


5 








1 


5 








3 





18 








4 








1 


6 





8 








G 


6 


2 


10 





2 


10 








3 


8 





3 





2 


13 











8 





4 


6 





1 






APPENDIX. 135 



Felt ITat-s at f^s., 

Sli(teing !i Horse ami corking round, at 8<., 

Shoeing a pair of Cattle, at 12s., 

Horse hiring, at orf. per mile, 

Flip, at Is. per mug, 

Tobacco, at C)fl. per 11)., 

Ciller on the Lees, at 2(is. per blil.. 

Cyder, at C(/. per mug. 

Good Hunting Saddles, at ('>0s., 

Butter until the first of June, at lOJ. per lb., 

and until the firet of November, Sd., per lb., 
Good Common Saddles in proportion to Hunting, 
Good Bridle.s, at f<s., 
Salt Pork, at 9^/., per lb. 

A true copy from the original records. 

Attest, R. B. lloDiNSON, luicn Clerk. 



£ 


s. 


(I. 





8 








8 








12 








() 


3 





1 














1 














6 


3 














10 








8 





8 











9 



THE INUNDATION. 

We clip the account of the bi-centennial storm from 77ie Western 
Hampden Times. It gives some additional facts, beyond tho.se which 
we have stated already. But no language can express the disappoint- 
ment and regret, which its occurrence occasioned. 

The rain storm, commenced about two o'clock, Sunday morning, 
and continued until two o'clock p. m., on Monday, swelling the river 
to such an extent as to break the levee, constructed many years 
ago, on the right bank of the river, for the purpose of protecting the 
town from inundations. The ringing of bells announced the fact to 
the citizens, and men, representing all trades and professions, armed 
with shovels, were seen hurrying to the scene of danger, with the hope 
of saving their property and possibly their lives. They worked bravely 
and manfully, but all to no purpose, and a few minutes before three 
o'clock the levee opened in two places, and in less than 30 minutes 
nearly all that part of the town west of the N. & N. H. ILiilroad, and 
north of Court street, including Orange, N. Maple, Franklin, Kellogg, 
Summer, Spring. Hampden, School, Jefferson, Madison, and parts of 
Washington, Church, Arnold, King and West School streets wore 
submerged, cellars filled, and many of the inhabitants driven to the .sec- 
ond story of their dwollings. 

The flood being checked on the east, by the embankment of tho rail- 



136 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

road, it followed the course of the town brook, crossed Elra street, filled 
the Laseraent of Rand, Lewis & Rand's Whip Factory, carrying away a 
portable picture gallery that was in the vicinity of the factory, and deposit- 
ing it on the embankment of the railroad. A culvert of the road in the 
rear of the factory being insuflBcient to let the water pass, it washed away 
the embankment on either side, leaving nothing but the rails and sleepers. 

The breaking of the culvert increased the volume of water to such 
an extent as to wash out Mechanic street below the bed of the brook, 
leaving a chasm about 40 feet wide ; undermining the Van Deusen 
Whip Factory, several private dwellings, and flooding many others, be- 
fore it reached its natural course east of the village. During this time, 
and while the citizens were congratulating each other that probably the 
worst was over, the water broke through the embankment of the rail- 
road on Orange street, flooding the basement of Johnson's Organ Fac- 
tory, and rushing like a mountain torrent down Elm street, filling cel- 
lars, carrying away lumber, fences, small buildings, and everything 
movable that chanced to be in its way. Before reaching the river, east 
of the bridge, it washed away the south-west corner of the basement 
story of Steer & Turner's Organ Factory. 

It will take weeks and perhaps months before the damage done to 
property and thoroughfares can be repaired. Fortunately no lives were 
lost. Many families, however, were in imminent danger, but were res- 
cued by means of boats and wagons. 

The pupils of the normal and some of the public schools had to be 
conveyed to their home by this means. A party of citizens had col- 
lected on the railroad between Orange street and Great river, and be- 
fore they were aware of it, they were surrounded by water and were 
compelled to remain in that position until the flood subsided. 

Competent judges have estimated the individual loss to be about 
$30,000, and the loss to the town, railroad, and gas incorporations about 
$30,000 more, making the total loss about $60,000. 



Letters of regret for inability to attend were received from the fol- 
lowing persons ; some of which we extract from, or copy, our space 
limiting a more extended notice : 

Joshua Atwater, Edwardsville, 111. ; Henry Day, Indianapolis, Ind. ; 
W. H. Wadsworth, Cleveland, 0. ; William R. Morley, Taylorsville ; 
Mrs. Esther A. French, Lansing, Mich. ; Samuel F. Lyman, North- 
ampton; Hon. Oliver Warner, Sec'y, Boston; Charles W. Mose- 
ley, Onondaga, N. Y. ; Hon. R. A. Chapman, Chief Justice, Mon- 
son; William King, Martinsboro, N. Y.; James Sheldon, Brooklyn, 



Ari'KNDIX. 137 

N. Y. ; Royal 1Mil'1|is, Newport, 11. I.; Henry T. Morn;an, New York; 
Homer 3Iorgan, New York; O. Allen, Columbus, (). ; John Davis, 
Mieli. ; Mrs. C. Gibbons, Russell; .1. II. Tabnadpo, New York 
City; II. W. (Tillett, Sedalia, xMo. ; F. 1). Cossitt, Cliieago ; Roland 
Mather, Hartford; Rev. Hiram Rinj^ham, New Haven; Mrs. Cath- 
erine M. Foote, Rrooklyn, N. Y. ; Rev. E. RuUentine, Rlooming- 
ton, la. ; Daniel Richards, Watertown, Mti.ss. ; Mr. & Mrs. Porter 
Smith, Quiney, 111. ; Rev. John Alden, Providence, R. I. ; Hon. Jamea 
T. Robinson, North Adams ; Hon. John G. Palfrey, Candjridge ; 
Prof. George W. Benedict, Burlington, Vt. ; James R. Metcalfe, New 
York City ; Henry W. Taylor, Canandaigua. N. Y. ; 0. R. IngersoU, 
New York City ; Joi^eph D. Hates, New York City ; Mrs. Elizabeth 
King Day, Oakland, Cal. ; Hon. A. S. Porter, Niagara; Rev. Dr. 
Orville Dewey, Sliettield ; D. D. Erving, Hartford; Henry Terry, 
Santa R<.. SI, Cal.; 8. B Iladley, Rockdale ; A. S. Nash, Corry ; Harvey 
Fowler, Maru;aretta, (). ; William L. Atwater, New York City; Rev. 
Dr. Henry M. Dexter, Boston; Rev. Hiram Smith, Hinsdale. 

There were, besides, warm and fervent letters from former citizens 
in dili'erent parts of the country, expressive of their approbation of the 
proposed celebration, and of a determination to be present. Many of 
tbeui, however, were prevented by the great inundation, and others by 
divers untoward circum.'Jtances. We annex a partial li.st, — imperfect, 
inasmuch as, in the hurry and confusion of the time, many of them 
were lost or mislaid. 

It was gratifying to receive these expressions of good will, from those, 
who iiad been so long absent ; and it was doubly so to press thejiands 
of those early emigrant,s from distant homes, who had made such long 
pilgrimages to the old home of their birth. 

Among the numbers who arrived here, and participated in the pleas- 
ures of the occasion, were the persons, whose names we insert below. 
It was with a sincere regret, that Mrs. West, the daughter of the ven- 
erable Jo.shua Atwater of Edwardsville, 111., who, with her husband, 
at the re([uest of her father, of the age of ninety-four years, had trav- 
eled as far us Pittsfield, should have been left in a car at that place, 
by a neglect of the corporation, and thus debarred from the pleasures, 
they had traveled so far to enjoy. 

We were more than gratilied that others, who were al.so left, obtained 
other means of conveyance for portions of the intervening distance, and 
hy fording streams, where the bridges hail been swept away, and by 
long and weary miles of travel on foot, were enabled to participate in 
a portion of the exercises. 
18 



ld(5 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

It should also be remarked as peculiarly unfortunate, that the assem- 
bly were debarred the hearing, from so many of the guests present at 
the dinner, a few remarks, at least, expressive of their feelings upon 
the occasion. Coming from distant parts of this great country, and 
meeting here, upon a jubilee, the like of which can never again hap- 
pen, with their old kinsmen, and the denizens of the town, it would have 
been a pleasure to us to have heard them speak, and a pleasure to them 
to have spoken. Many of them were prepared to speak, and they 
were persons of the ability to do it well. It seemed, indeed, a sort of 
rudeness, to close the proceedings, without calling upon them to respond. 
When it was too late to amend, we saw, and regretted the mistake. The 
obvious apology for us, did not cover the whole error. The unexampled 
inundation, the delay of trains, the belated convocation of the guests, 
and the consequent uncertainty, which, for a short time, retarded the 
proceedings, and the chilliness and dampness of the air in the tent, in 
the latter part of the afternoon, were causes for the early dispersion of 
the company. But the original and great cause arose from crowding all 
the proceedings into one short autumn day ! We should have devoted 
two days to it ! One day, at least, for each century was reasonably de- 
manded ; and at the close of the second day, after the allowance of am- 
ple time for hearing, seeing, renewing old acquaintances, forming new 
ones, reviving the memories of old times, in social converse, and in the 
formation of new resolutions for future social relations, our friends, would 
have realized, more impressively, the true enjoyment of this re-union 
with their kindred. But, alas, it is too late to repair the past ! We, 
howevgr, suggest to our descendants, who may be living here at the close 
of the next century, to read over the present volume, which we trust 
some of them will find among the old and valued volumes of their libra- 
ries, or in the library of the town, and, certainly in the alcoves of the 
ever-enduring Athenceum, and, warned by our mistakes, devote an am- 
ple time to their centennial anniversary, — the tri-eentennial celebration 
of the incorporation of Westfield. 



Letters of acceptance of those, who expressed, either briefly or in ex- 
tenso their intention to be present, were the following persons ; and we 
insert in the list from memory, a number who were present from distant 
residences. 

Mrs. Atwater West, Edwardsville, 111., and E. M. West, her husband 
Frederick Sacket, Esq., Chicago ; Joseph W. King, Jacksonville, 111. 
Reuben King, Chicago, 111. ; Rev. Dr. Samuel K. Ely, Roslyn, L. I. 
Horatio E. Day, Hartford, Ct. ; Hon. Calvin Day, Hartford, Ct. ; Hon 



Al'rKNDIX. I'Jl) 

Albert Day. Ilaitfonl, Ct. ; Henry W. IJates, New York City ; Mrs. 
Mary A. Warner, Waterloo, N. Y. ; Miss Jane Ingersoll, Springllelil ; 
Maj. Kdwanl [n^ors(»ll, U. S. Armory, Springfielil ; Stoplien Douglass, 
Greenwich, Mass.; Jeremiah Douglass, Greenwich, Mass.; A. M. 
Drake, Brighton; George Stowe, New York City; E. V. B. Holconib, 
Chicopee Falls; F. E. MiTriinan, Boston ; Hon. II. G. Kniglit, Flast 
Hampton; Hon. John B. Hlilreilge, Hartford ; Mrs. Mary F. Pavis, New 
Britain, Ct. ; Charles Peck, New Britain, Ct. ; L. S. Smith, All)any; 
Caleb AKlen and wife, Springfield ; Mr. and Mrs. S. Munson, Albany ; 
John Hastings, Hartford; Julin C. Atwater, New York City, Mr. and 
Mrs. William H. Atwater, New York City; Henry Talmadge, New 
York City; Eilward Hooker, New York City; Edward Taylor, Andover; 
dona. Taylor, Andover; Mr. and Mrs. B. L. Spear, West Suffield, Ct. ; 
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Langdon, Hartford, Ct. ; D. B. Moseley, editor 
Beligious Herald, Hartford, Ct. ; E. W. Moseley, Hartford Ct. ; Mrs. 
J. Kent, Sutlield, Ct. ; P. Atwater and family, Suffield, Ct. ; J. R. Rand, 
New York City ; Rev. G. Haven, Boston ; H. K. Noble, Northamp- 
ton ; Rev. H. Beebe, New Haven, Ct. ; A. F. Hastings, New York 
City ; John B. Bancroft, Ballston Spa, N. Y. ; Thomas Ely, New Bed- 
ford ; K. Bancroft, Albany ; Mrs. Mary G. Colt an<l family, PittsfieM ; 
B. B. Hastings, New York City; W. Hudson Stephen.s, Lowville, N. Y. ; 
R. C. Rice, West Meriden, Ct. ; Francis Douglass, Worcester; A. R. 
Parsons, Free Press, Northampton ; Charles A. Chapman, Suflield ; 
William Ely, Elizabeth, N. J.; George W. Fowler, Carboudale, Pa. ; 
Cyrus D. Noble, Northampton ; Rev. William G. W. Lewis, Pough- 
keepsie ; Rev. Ephraim Scott, Heath ; Rev. Perkins K. Clark, Mittin- 
eaijuc; Enoch Clark, Ohio; Rev. John Cadwell, South Decrtield ; Wil- 
liam Stowe. Springfield ; Alfred C. Hobbs, Bridgeport, Ct. ; William 
B. Pettis and family, Troy, N. Y. ; Linus Noble, Northampton ; Wil- 
liam C. Goldthwaite, Longmeadow. 



Mr. West, the writer of the following is the son-in-law of Mr. 
Joshua Atwater ; and, with his wife, was present at a late part of the 
celebration, the car in which they were traveling, liaving been left at 
Pittsfield : 

EuwAKDSviLLi:, 111., Sept. 2 1, isd'.t. 
William G. Bates, fisQ., 

Chairman Committee on Invitation, Westjield, Mass. 
Dkak Sik: By request of Mr. Josliua Atwater, I write to express 
to you liis pleasure iu receiving your invitation to attend and parlici- 



140 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

pate in the exercises at the bi-ceatennial celebration of the incorpora- 
tion of Westfield, his native town, and to say that nothing couUl afford 
him more pleasure than to be present on that interesting occasion, and 
to renew his acquaintance with the friends and home of his youth. He 
fears, however, that infirmities attending his advanced age, (being in 
his ninety-fourth year,) are such as make the journey too great for him 
to undertake. 

He desires to express to your committee, and to all who may attend 
on that occasion his best wishes and cordial greetings. 
Very respectfully, 

E. M. West. 



LETTER FROM HON. R. A. CHAPMAN, CHIEF JUSTICE 
SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT. 

MoNSON, Oct. 4, 1869. 
My Dear Sir : I received the invitation of your committee, and 
your own private invitation to be present at your celebration and go to 
your house. I desire to be there quite as strongly as you can possibly 
desire to see me. During my brief residence in AVestfield, some forty 
yfears ago, I formed some acquaintances that I have always valued 
highly, yourself being at the head of the list, and I have not lost my 
interest in the place. What a growth the town has had in these forty 
years, — not merely in population and wealth, but in intelligence and 
elevation of character. I have been accustomed to think, that, for its 
intelligence and moral growth, Westfield was vastly more indebted to 
our old friend, Dr. Davis, than most people were aware of ; and I hope 
you will do him justice in your address. His most prominent talent 
was sound common sense. He understood the value of common edu- 
cation in common schools, and labored to promote it. I believe the 
common school, controlled as well as supported by the people, is a ne- 
cessity in a free government, and that good common schools are neces- 
sary to elevate the character of the people ; and that whoever would 
destroy them, and place common education in the hands of the clergy, 
or any other class of professional men, would work in hostility to free 
government. Dr. Davis was a Christian, and accepted the Bible as a 
divine revelation, applying liis common sense to the interpretation of it, 
in respect to doctrine and practical duty. He knew its elevating ten- 
dency. I believe, as he did, that it supplies a moral element, which is 
necessary to the preservation of the morals of a community — an ele- 
ment, that nothing else can supply. And whoever would depreciate 
the Bible, or oppose its general use and acceptance, acts in hostility to 



APrKNDIX. I I 1 

a free gnvoriimont and the moral clovation of tlie people. Wcstfii'lil 
lias improved just about in proportion to its increased regard for (^liris- 
tianity and oonnnon education, and its improvement within forty years 
has not been small. It will continue to grow, and two hundred years 
hence the people will re publish, and read Mr. liatei' address with 
great interest. I want greatly to hear that address as well as to visit 
your wife, ^liss Fannie and Miss Bessie, and .see some of my other 
friends in Wcstfield. Hut just think of it ! On our circuit.«, we must 
listen attentively to learned arguments all day till six, and then go into 
consultation till nine or ten, and fill up our vacations with writing 
opinions. And as we go to bed, thoroughly tired, it is with the com- 
forting reflection, that the con.stitutional requirement, that we shall have 
an honorable support is utterly disregarded, and that, if we had no 
private property to supply a part of what is ju.stly due us from the 
treasury of the State, we should have to resign to-morrow. But, I 
suppose we must yield to the claims of railroads, and other enterprises 
for money, and I must suppress my strong desire to attend your cele- 
bration. I send ni}' regrets, and my best regards to Mrs. Bates, and 
your daughters, your family and your associates. 

Yi'urs truly, R. A. CiiAP.MA>f. 

Hon. AVilliam G. Bates. 

LETTER FROM PROF. GEORGE W. BENEDICT. 

George W. Benedict was preceptor in the Westfield Academy in the 
years 1H18 and 1819, and subsequently became a professor in the uni- 
versity in Burlington, Vermont. 

Hon. W. G. Bates. litnu.NGTON, Vt., Sept. 2o, 1800. 

Dear Sir : I thank you for the plea.sant note I received from you a 
day or two since, with an invitation for me to be present at the bi-oen- 
tennial celebration of the settlement of Westfield. Is it possible that 
it is fifty years since I left my charge as perceptor of Westfield Acad- 
emy? So the almanac says; but who would have thought that fifty 
years could run away so soon? It is no wonder, that the " bi-centon- 
nial " has come along so soon, for two hundred is only /our times fifty, 
— not much after all. 

But, sliort as fifty years have Iwen, they have wrought considerable 
changes in me, among which have come along .some infirmities of body, 
which quite disenable me from mingling in crowds, or ex|K).sing my.self 
tr) fatigue, and I must decline bi'ing pre.><ent at the iiitcre>ting gathering 
to which you invite mo. Even if I cuuU go, I doubt whether I should 



142 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

not get as much pain as pleasure from the meeting. Nearly all whom 
1 linew, as full-grown persons there, in 1818-19, are gone ; and of the 
many whom I knew as pupils, (and of whom nearly all come up pleas- 
antly before my mind's eye, yet as young as ever,) only a few of those 
who survive would recognize me, and them I should find old instead of 
young. The break in the picture would seem far greater to me and 
them, than it can be to those who have met each other at frequent and 
short intervals during the half century past. 

Since I was last at Westfield — I think it was forty -five or forty -six years 
ago— I have met surprisingly few of those whom I knew there. Many years 
ago, when I had occasion to be in Boston, I somehow was told, that you 
was in the city, and at the Tremont Hotel, I believe, and I went there 
purposely to see you ; but was told at the office that you had left the 
day before. It would have given me great pleasure to have seen you, 
and to have talked over with you the pleasant year which I spent as an 
inmate of your father's family. Hon. James Fowler — whose kind re- 
membrance of me in your note I wish to reciprocate, I met for a few 
minutes many years ago on a railroad train near Burlington, and that 
short interview was provokingly interrupted by a business interview with 
a gentleman, who had telegraphed me to meet him then and there. It 
will be quite an accident if we, any of us, meet again in this life — but 
an accident, which I would be very glad to have take place. 

With great respect for your letter, I remain, as ever. 

Your old friend, 

George W. Benedict. 

P. S. Life and prosperity to Westfield and Westfield Academy, for 
many hundreds of years to come. 



LETTER FROM LEWIS F. ALLEN, BUFFALO, N. Y. 

Lewis F. Allen is a distinguished citizen of Buffiilo. He has been 
engaged in extensive improvements in that city, and has filled its most 
honorable ofiices. 

Buffalo, N. Y., Sept. 30, 1869. 

My Dear Sir: Your kind invitation to attend "the Second Cen- 
tennial Anniversary of the town of Westfield " is received. 

No enjoyment within my control would give me more hearty gratifi- 
cation, than to attend your anniversary, but indispensable engagements 
at home will prevent it. The loss will be mine only, not yours, for I 
could add nothing of interest to your proceedings, as I am known to 



APPENDIX. 143 

scarcely a score of your citizens, and am unfortunate in liaviii;^ Imt 
few blood relations in your midst; thus, in my long absence fnjni 
your town, T should only be a stranger to nearly all of your good 
people. 

But, there is still the grand, lone Mount Tekoa (near the foot of 
which I first drew my breath) looking tranquilly down upon you ; the 
bills of Russell, and IMandford, and Granville still maintain their pro- 
tecting front over your delightful valley ; the pure waters of your 
"Great" and "Little" rivers (in which I have swam and dived un- 
counted times in early boyhood) are yet shimmering through your lux- 
uriant meadows ; and many other interesting objects are there, with 
which my memory is familiar, and at whose sight a thousand fond rec- 
ollections would throng my heart. No strangers would they be to me, 
although myself a stranger to your people. 

When rertecting upon the acci<lent of my birth, I feel a pride that 
Massachusetts is my native state, and that Westfield is my native town 
— a t(uvn then, ils now, among the most beautiful in the charming Con- 
necticut valley. My brief school education was mostly obtained in the 
old wooden academy, whose white walls looked out on the village 
"green," and my last and only histrionic exploits were enacted at the 
annual "exhibition," with my school-fellows, on the "stage," extem- 
porized in the old white "meeting-house" adjacent, under the super- 
vision of our complacent, yet anxious " preceptor," and our occasional 
"usher" — the latter, the Hon. James Fowler, since risen to well-won 
distinction among you, and still, I trust, in the enjoyment of a .serene 
and venerable age — and the "young lady scholars," too, who played 
their "Desdemonas " and " Ophelias" to their ranting, strutting heroes, 
coy and affectionate, under the surveillance of their sedate " precep- 
tress " and " umler teacher." Blessings be on the heads of those who 
survive, and honor to the many of those who have departed ! 

The pulpit of the " meeting-house," in those days was worthily and 
ably occuj)ied by the Rev. Isaac Knapp, who, among his outside paro- 
chial ministrations, as visitor to the smaller "district schools," in my .''till 
earlier days, taught me the "shorter catechism," — a tedious les.son, by 
the way, to my impatient iHiyhood — the iron-bound " Ortho<lox " teach- 
ings of which I have not forgotten, but to its observances, I fear, often 
played the truant. With what awe and reverence did I look up at the 
occasional aged, veneral)le, white-wiggod, long-<(neueil *' ministers," who 
exchangeil pulpit-s with our younger, more modern Mr. Knapp in thos« 
days; and how decorously straightened up in the "Deacon's ihjw," 
under the pulpit, sat grim '" oM Deacon Ballentino," — lone bachelor 



144 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

that he was — looking out in case-hardened severity through his iron- 
bound spectacles, on the inattention of a listless hearer ! 

Since I left Westfield, rnore than fifty years ago, my visits there have 
been few and far between ; but they are full of pleasant recollections. 
The venerable mansion, erected by my maternal grandsire (Captain 
Richard Falley, of Bunker Hill and Revolutionary memory), near the 
" green," and in which he lived many years, is still standing, and for 
sixty years or more, has been successively occupied by some of your 
most eminent physicians — Dr. Atwater, and the son of the elder Dr. 
James Holland, the younger Dr. James (the latter, one of your Com- 
mittee of Invitation, and late a gallant medical soldier in our armies), 
whose ministrations to the diseased and afHicted were ever salutary and 
grateful. 

The {^esthetic taste of the good people of Westfield, I find, has been 
exercised in the extension of your ample streets, and the planting of trees 
which overshadow their pleasant dwellings ; while their active industry 
has adorned the town with public structures, admirable in design, and 
munificent in appropriation — all indicative of the high morality, the 
continuous thrift, the substantial wealth of your population. 

In my last visit to Westfield, two years ago, I felt one pang, and 
that a sharp one. As I passed up your principal street from the rail- 
way station to the "green," I saw a board, on which was painted 
" Franklin street." What a desecration, thought I, of the venerable, 
time-honored name, " Shepard lane," as it used to be in my boyhood ! 
Dr. Franklin is honored, in a thousand names, in county, town and vil- 
lage ; no need of him in Westfield ; while the revolutionary patriot, 
Gen. Shepard, white-haired and noble in presence, as I remember him, 
whose humble, gambrel roofed, elm-shadowed dwelling on the highway, 
giving it a patriarchal, well-deserved name, must be rubbed out and for- 
gotten ! No, no, my good friends, take down that ambitious " Frank- 
lin," and restore, in good, honest black and white, " Shepard lane ! " 
It has a rural significance as well. 

God bless the good old town of Westfield ! Peace and prosperity 
attend its people ! May tlic joyous event, which you are about to cele- 
brate, remain a grateful memorial in their hearts, and an abiding ex- 
ample to future generations. 

With the kindest personal regards to yourself, and most respectful 
salutations to your associates, I remain, dear sir. 

Most truly, your friend, 

Lewis F. Allkn. 

lloN. Wm. G. Bates, Ch. Com. of Invitation, Westfield, Mass. 



APPENDIX. 



14- 



TELEGIIAM FIIOM ClJOVi: II. LOOMIS OF BOSTON. 

T\w mails la'twccii Wi-stlifld ami Boston liciiij; interrupted, the anx- 
ious and yearning si f Westlii'ld resorted to the telegraph. His letter 

came ta hand during our diiinci, \vliile he was fasting from it, in disap- 
pointment, in Bost<in. The letter itself diseloses his state of feeling: — 

Boston, Oct. 0, \RC)9. 
Hon. Wi 1,1,1 .\m (I. Hatks : 

Though the Avind.s and floods have come between me and home, pro- 
ventino' bodily presence, yet in spirit I am with you, and invoke upon 
the returning and re-uniting sons and daughters of Westtield that full 
measure of enjoyment, which such an occasion must inspire. A thou- 
sand pleasant memories crowd upon my mind, as I recall the days of 
" Auld Lang Syne," and as many congratulations rise to my lips, aa I 
contemplate the plea.sure of the hour. By the next centennial, flying- 
machines will doubtless be serviceable, and then look for my grand- 
children as they conje wafting home. Mr. President, place your hand 
on the wire, and you will see my pulse beats (juick ami strong to be 
with you. Please salute the brethren and sisters, particularly the latter. 

Yours, in memory of my ancestor, and with love to ray mother, 

G. n. LooMis. 



LETTER FIIOM CORNELIUS HEDGES. 

After acquiring bis education in this town at the Academy, he was 
graduated at Yale College in 1«5.'» ; and, being admitted to the bar 
of this county, he emigrated to his present residence. 

Uklkna Citv, Montana Tekhitokv, Sept. 20, 18G'.). 
To Hon. William G. Bates, Chairman, S^c: 

Dkak Sir: Your kindly invitation to attend and participate in cel- 
ebrating the bi-centennial anniver.<^ary of the incorporation of the town 
of Westfield, overtook me, in my wanderings from childhood's home, 
and has found or kindled a .'<trong desire to participate in the festivities, 
and testify my loyal attachment to my native town ; pride in her name, 
history, natural wealth and beauty ; in her schools and churches ; in 
her thrift and enterprise; but, above all, I would delight to see her 
scattered H)ns and daughters gather around the old homesteads, t« re- 
vive old memories and associations, and over the graves of our sires, to 
renew our vows of fidelity to all that was wisi- and gotwl in their teach- 
ings and example. But. in view of distance and pressing duties, I 
19 



146 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

regret to say I cannot come in person. I have chased the setting sun 
to the suraniit of the Rocky Mountains, and seen many of the bright 
and rich fields of the West, but none so bright and fair, in my sight, 
as the Westfield of my birth. I love it all — her meadows and hills ; 
her rivers, brooks and ponds ; her blackberry plains, and chestnut 
woods ; all of them are linked with the golden chains of memory. I 
have found a land that contains more gold, but all the countless wealth 
of Montana's mines, could not hire me to choose any other spot than 
Westfield, in which to spend my days, if I could go back to the friends 
and companions of my youth. But too many have passed the bourne, 
from which no traveler returns. Could the dead of two hundred years 
attend your gathering, what a vast and venerable assemblage ! But, 
the two centuries to come, are bigger with destinies, and will throng 
with mightier hosts. You are acting wisely, in sinking the foundations 
for a virtuous and prosperous society, in public schools, libraries and 
churches. No descendant of Westfield needs blush for his birthplace. 

Hoping success to the occasion, pleasure to all who participate, with 
sorrowful regret, that I must be denied the pleasure, I extend to you, 
and through you, to all the gentlemen of the committee, my warmest 
thanks. 

I remain ever a son of Westfield, proud of his birthplace. 

CoRNELiDS Hedges. 



LETTER FROM J. SIBLEY. 

Mr. Sibley was educated here, studied law in New York State, emi- 
grated to Illinois, was elected a judge, in which office he has remained 
for several years, as a popular officer. 

QuiNcy, Sept. 20, 1869. 
To Hon. William G. Bates, Chairman, «^c. ; 

Dear Sir : I was much gratified by your kind invitation to attend 
the bi-centennial festival, contemplated at Westfield, on the Gth of Octo- 
ber next, that has just reached me at this place, and in reply allow me 
to express to you, and through you to the gentlemen of the committee 
on invitations, my sincere regrets, that official duties are such as to ren- 
der it quite impossible for me to be present on the occasion referred to. 

Though separated by the space of half a continent, and the time 
usually allotted to a generation of men, from a residence among you, 
still I should participate as heartily in celebrating the birthday of West- 
field, as if the intervening time and space were entirely obliterated. 
For the pleasant recollections of the long-ago past connected with that 



APrENDIX. 147 

place, return to the mind as frosli as the events of yesterday. And let 
nie assure tlie good people of that town, who can with pride look hack 
over these dead centuries to find the commencement of its corporate 
existence, that if there is anything that T have reason to be proud of, 
it is in being thus remembered as a native-born son of that ancient and 
honored place. 

May the prosperity of Westfield continue undiminished through the 
remaining centuries to come, and its inhabitants exhibit the same gen- 
erous and hospitable spirit in celebrating their exit, as that which the 
present occtision has manifested, — is the sentiment of 

Your most obedient servant, 

J. Sibley. 



LETTER EKOM WIELI.VM L. ATWATER. 

Mr. Atwatcr is the son of Dr. William Atwater, and grandson of 
Rev. Noah Atwater, and was born in the old family mansion, where 
Dr. James Hollaml now lives. 

New York. Oct. 4, 18G9. 

Dear Sir : I make a tardy response to your invitation to unite with 
the sons of Westfield in celebrating the two hundredth anniversary of 
its settlement. As a dutiful son, I hoped to obey the call, and to meet 
at the spot of my birth with my earliest, and of course my best friends. 
IJut ju.st as your committee of arrangements are marshaling in proces- 
sion the home resi<lents and tlie returned emigrant sons, with the wel- 
come exotics, I must be counted absent, and reluctantly forego the high 
enjoyment. Yet, at a distance, I will rejoice that such a home entertain- 
ment will be spread for the other children. It will be easy and plea.«ant 
for absent members of the family to imagine the hi.st(>rian of We-sttield 
and his co-lalxtrers, telling to deliKhted auditors a narrative so unlike 
the chronicles, which have surfeited us with militiiry exploits and politi- 
cal intrigues. They will relate how the pioneers of civilization from 
beyond the Connecticut, pitched their tents near Little Uiver, and 
towards the Green, and how promptly the meeting-house and school- 
house followed ; how barter-trades were driven with the Wuronocos, 
and what were the sumptuary regulations of our graiulsires and grand- 
mothers ; how matrons left politics and platforms, to rule with gentle 
sway in their home kingdoms, not having yet learned from the Sorosis, 
•that, in the.se (juiet, domestic scenes, they were out of their element, 
and that they ought to bo more concerned about their tloubtful rights, 
than about their well defined duties ; how young men found rational 



148 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

entertainment and healthful exercises outside of clubs and billiard- 
rooms; how much better employed were the young maidens' hands, 
that turned spinning-wheels in the seventeenth century, than the hands that 
turned the pages of sensational and corrupting novels in the nineteenth. 
And as hours pass on, the hungry Olivers around the board beseech- 
ingly ask for more pleasant " Pictures." A new lustre will gather 
around many beloved and honored homes. Those long since gone, will 
be venerated, and the many departed will be tenderly remembered. 
And should their domestic and social virtues be painted with too much 
warmth of coloring, or, if the faithful historian discloses some failings, 
I dare say that the extravagance will be indulged, for the occasion, and 
that the sons, like Noah's, will cover the reproach of their fathers. 

It was one of Lord Bacon's memorable sayings, that " the best times 
to live in were the worst times to read about ; " that is to say, that the an- 
nals of peaceful, arcadian ages afford no stirring incidents for lively enter- 
tainment. If we accept this view, it must be conceded that the archives 
of Westfield furnish no records of splendid, heroic deeds, or of exciting 
adventures. Virgil could never have opened the first chapter of our his- 
tory, as he opened the first book of JEneid by singing of, " arms and the 
man." The most patient researches would perhaps discover no other, 
or no greater adventures and exploits than those our fathers dared and 
achieved, in hunting on some fine day, or in fishing on a rainy one ; or if 
in the field, life's chief battles were fought in charging upon unsubdued 
soils and obstinate and usurping stumps. The only revolutions on rec- 
ord, would prove to be the bloodless ones, which our honored mothers 
made with their spinning-wheels. Our two centuries of chronicles, are 
neither tei'rible or voluminous with the blood and thunder narratives, 
which in our own day swarm in houses, as the flies of Egypt. With- 
out battles and victories, without genealogies of great and illustrious 
names in science and learning, our ancestors and ourselves have lived 
in Westfield in uneventful times. But those have been good times, 
when families and neighborhoods enjoyed the blessings of popular edu- 
cation, and were united harmoniously by bonds of brotherly sympathy ; 
when the few reputed rich men never looked disdainfully upon poor 
men, and when there were few or no poor men to envy the prosperity 
of those more favored. We, and others, can afibrd to let the proverb 
stand, which comes with so high authority, and without regrets that our 
annals afford no materials for racy narratives, will this day rejoice, that 
the best times to live in are the worst to read about. 

If the lot that ordered the times of Westfield's first settlers, their 
descendant's and our own, has been pleasant, we shall this day remem- 



.\rrF:\Dix. 149 

ber no less pomjilaopntly, the cinMimstaiiccs and priviloj^cs of tliesc 
diorished homos. Tlio pioneers had imleed the trials inseparable to tho 
early stages of civilization. They had not foun<l the promised land on 
this side the Connecticut. No true spies had returni.'fl to report that 
the clusters of Eschol could be jijathered on the .sands of Poverty Plains 
at the south, or at Hampden Plains on the north, or, that milk and 
honey flowed from under the shadow of Tekoa And then there were 
Canaanites to be driven out from among the Woronocos (it is hoped 
that they came under Jolin Eliot's ministrations), liiit tlu." homes and 
the surroundings, the family altars, and rural and more elaborate tem- 
ples on these plains, have been happy and sacred spots. In respect to 
material prosperity, it has been a good land, in rewarding labor in the 
pursuits of agriculture, and mechanical and manufacturing skill and in- 
dustry. Wcstfield has been happy, useful and honored in its just esti- 
mate of popular eilucation, offering during all the present century, ad- 
vantages for academical instruction which few [teople have enjoyed. It 
has been happy in enjoying a long settled and faithful ministry of be- 
loved pastors, who so taught religion by word, and so exemplified it in 
deed, that resulting blessings have been imparted to their tlocks, and 
unwonted harmony in every generation has prevailed among all denom- 
inations. From what has been done here in the interests of education, 
in the labors of a faithful ministry, and in promoting peace and good 
will among all its people, other communities may derive impulse and 
example. These pleasant home pictures have had their shadows. Tho 
cypress and the niyrtle have grown near each other in every scene. 
Yet, surveying the alternating years of health and infirmities, hopes and 
disappointments, successes and defeats, smiles and tears, we must one 
and all testify this day, that the lines have fallen to us in pleasant 
places, t/ea, that ire have had a goodly heritaye : that the home of our 
children, youth, middle age, or declining years, 

Is a spot of earth supremely blest, 

A ileiircr, sweeter sjKtt than all tho rest. 

In the year lOnO, a few emigrants from Ma-ssachusetts colony settled 
on these plains of Westfield. With their brethren of the colony, they 
came to lay the foundation of civil gnvornment in tho wililerno.ss. They 
recognized God's laws as the fundamental authority; and that they 
owed him supremo reverence and obedience, was their first and last 
duty. Secondly, they held that they " enjoyr-d the ])rivilege of gov- 
ernment within themselves as their undoubted right in the sight of (Jod 
and man." They believed in " government of the jR^ople Ity the peo- 
ple, and for the |)eople." And here, o(.H?val with tho rising of their 



150 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

rude temples and their ruder homes, the tree of civil and religious lib- 
erty was planted and reared, and we have eaten of the precious fruits 
and sat for two hundred years under its shade. It is because of those 
venerable men, and the principles they taught to our fathers, that we 
have enjoyed an enlightened freedom and a civilization unsurpassed 
among men. And duty, love and reverence unite this day in commem- 
orating, if not their names, yet their great and enduring work. 

I associate with my youthful days in Westfield one who had a preju- 
dice in favor of good roads, and who rendered the public a long and 
faithful service by his interest in their highways. I will close a letter, 
I fear quite too long, by offering a sentiment which all will agree has a 
worthy subject. [The sentiment will be found on page 114.] 
Very truly, 

W. L. Atwater. 

William G. Bates, Esq., Chairman, ^c. 



LETTER FROM HENRY F. TERRY. 

Santa Rosa, Cal., Sept. 28, 18G9. 
William G. Bates, Esq., Chairman, ^c: 

Dear Sir : I am happy to acknowledge receipt of tickets of in- 
vitation to participate in the bi-centennial celebration of your town, 
to occur on the Gth of October next. 

With what quickened beat does the blood pulsate through my frame 
at the very mention of New England, and especially Westfield, with 
which so many pleasant recollections are associated. 'Tis sacred ground 
to me ; there lie the earthly remains of a Father, peace to his ashes ! 

And how I would rejoice to be with you, and add one to the num- 
ber of those, who though wandering from there, are still loyal to the 
scenes of youth. 

'"Tis tlie birthplace of freedom, the land I love best." 

There among others, I would meet those dearest on earth — the faces 
on whom my infant eyes first rested ; the face of her who first taught 
me to lisp " Our Father in Heaven " — my Mother ! My heart over- 
flows as I contemplate the picture. 

Although I could add but little to the success of the celebration, 
from my knowledge of the deep emotional heart of New Englanders, 
I know I should receive as hearty a welcome, on all sides, as my pleas- 
ure would be intense. But I am admonished by circumstances that I 
must forego and deny myself the pleasure of participating therein. 



APrilNDlX. 



With till' i'ullt'st assnranoo of my well -wishes in this and all other 

umlertakiiij;s, hotli piililic and private, I subscribe myself, with many 

thanks for the remembrance, 

Yours truly, 

IIknkv r. Tkkkv. 



MI ri:i: fho.m o. u. inckhsof.l. 

Nkw Youk, Sept. 11, IHOO. 
To Hon. Wii,i,iA>i G. Uatks: 

Sir : I learn that you have been invited to deliver the address at tho 
celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of 
the ti)wn of Westfield. I therefore address you these few lines, and if 
yiiu derive from them any infnrmation that is new to you or may corao 
within the scope of your line of remaarks on that exceedingly interest- 
ing occasion T shall be pleased. I am a descendant of John Tngersoll, 
the settler, who moved to Westfield in the year 10<')."» and died there in 
1(184. His wife was Mary Hunt, who.se mother was Mary Web.ster, 
daughter of John Web.ster, fifth governor of the colony of Connecticut, 
.lohn IngersoU had fifteen children — Jo.seph, one of his sons, born in 
Westfield, October 16, 1(")75, was slain at Deerfield. Mass., when that 
town was destroyed by the French and Indians, February 29, 1704. 
Another son, Thomas, married Sarah Ashley. Their son was Thomas, 
who married Sarah Dewey ; his house which now stands in Little River, 
and is upwards of one hundred and .si.xty years of age, was known many 
years as the IngersoU Place. Thomas was a magistrate in Westfield 
until his dccea.sc. His house being large, was used as a kind of fort, 
where the people resorted for .safety during the Indian wars. Greyloek, 
the famous Indian warrior, had killed a large number of persons, and 
was skulking around a long time, and at last, when in the act of .scalp- 
ing Thomas' wife, 8arah, Thomas fired, Greyloek escaped bleeding into 
the woods and was never heard from afterwards. Thomas' son, John, 
was a magistrate, and died in Westfield. Another son, Jonathan, waa 
a captain, an<l killed at Fort George by the Indians lying in ambush, in 
1754 ; seventy soldiers were killed on a scouting party- Thoma-s Inger- 
soU emigrated to Canada before the Revolutionary War. The town of 
" Ingers«jll " was named in honor of them. Major Charles IngersoU, 
his son, was an ofticer in the Rriti.sh army and a member of the Cana- 
dian Parliament. Charles J. and Jos«'ph 11. Inger.«oll of Philadelphia, 
descended from John the settlor. Their father wa.s Jare«l IngersoU, 
judge of the District Court of Penn.sylvania. He attained high rank 
as a lawyer, was a member of Congress and of the convention which 



152 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

formed the constitution of the United States. The New Haven Inger- 
solls descended from John, the settler. Ralph I. is one of the ablest 
lawyers in Connecticut; his brother, Charles A., was a United States 
judge at the time of his death. Their sister, Grace Ingersoll, was one 
of the famous women of the court of the first Napoleon, and married 
one of Napoleon's receiver generals. Benjamin Saxton, the first white 
male child or English child born in Westfield, was born in a house that 
stood under the hill near the Ingersoll house. 

0. R. Ingersoll. 



LETTER FROM HENRY W. TAYLOR. 

A letter, dated October 1, 1869, was addressed to Hon. William G. 
Bates, by Henry W. Taylor, Esq. of Canandaigua, N. Y., a descendant 
of the first pastor of the church in Westfield, expressive of his interest 
in the celebration, of his desire to be present, and of his intention so to 
do. Like many others, he was prevented by an imperative necessil^. 
His letter contains sixteen closely written pages, which are devoted to 
the personal history of his venerable relative ; and the facts stated are 
of a most interesting character, particularly to the numerous descend- 
ants of the old pastor. We can only make a few extracts from the let- 
ter, and state a few facts set forth therein. 

He was born in England, educated for the ministry, studied seven 
years in one of their universities ; but the ejection of 2,000 dissenting 
clergymen in 1662, and the persecutions which that class of Christians 
suffered, induced him to a voluntary exile. It seems he was then an ar- 
dent anti-monarchist, and his early writings are said to breathe, in no 
doubtful terms, his strong aversion to the rulings of the existing dynasty. 
He was, through his whole life, a most voluminous writer, keeping a 
diary of the running events of his life, and recording things of passing 
interest. He left a large number of written folio volumes, and he was 
in the habit of transcribing, with his own hand, the books which were 
loaned to him by his friend Judge Sewall of Boston. Mr. Taylor also 
studied medicine ; and during his life was accustomed to minister as 
well to the diseases of the body, as of the soul. He also gave atten- 
tion to the study of natural history, and some of his compositions were 
published in the scientific literature of the day. 

We do not suppose our readers care to know how he bore the voyage 
across the Atlantic ; whether or not he was sea-sick, or what the state 
of the weather was ; but, as showing the state of navigation, and the 
change in the general state of things in the space of two hundred 



years, wo appoml an oxtract frmn liin journal, kimlly furnishod liy 
Mr. 11. W. Tnylor. 

"Anno Ddiiiiiii ]C<M. April 22, bfinp liOrd's day, between ten and 
I'K'Vcn o'clock at iii;j;lit, I canio for noa, takinji; hoat at Flxcoution Dock, 
Wappincj. Tlicy i!;ot to the Downs, May 1, and we arc forced to tarry 
for the winds. T sent a letter to Lonrlon and another U> Sketehley. 
May 3, I had a sad forenoon, hut toward evening the ship-master 
sent for me, and enjoined me to go to prayer with them. May 14, 
against Dover. I sent a letter to my brother Richard. May 15, 
against the Tsle of Wight, May 20, again.st the Lisanl. Lord's 
day. May 24, I then being put to exercise spoke from John '3d, 3d. 
May 31, Lord's day, wind west. I wjus very sick, so that I <!ould not 
perform the duties of the day. June 7, our latitude is 43°. The.sc 
two last days we sailed well nigh 150 leagues. I being sontewhat Ijet- 
ter in health than before, did exercise from and ap[»ly the doctrine that 
before I approved. June 13, wo exerci.<ed from I.saiah 3d, 11th. 
June IX, our latitude 41°, longitude .')lo. After dinner I read the 4th 
chapter of John, in Greek. Lord's day, June 21, I ap|)roved the doc- 
trine I delivered the Lord's day before. Lord's day, June 2H I ex- 
ercised from the words, " For the reward of their hands shall be given 
them," Isaiah 3d, 11th. July 2d, sounded .00 fathoms. July 4th, 
thick fog ; seeing land on botli hands, Plymouth on the left and Salem 
on the right, towards sun-setting, about five o'clock we saw the Islaml 
in our pas.sage up to Boston. About three o'clock on Lord's day, 
July "»th, in tiie morning we carac to .shore. July 23d I was admitted 
into the college, pupil under .Mr. Thomas Graves, Sir Fellow in a great, 
yet civil cla.ss. I continued there three years and a ([uarter, all which 
time I was college butler. I proposed to lay down my place at the 
commencement. The President by his inces.sant reipiest and desires pre- 
vailed with me to tarry in it, as for three years before ; but after a 
quarter's trial he (I) was invited by Mr. Thomas Flint of Braintree to 
come and study with him. lie (I) went in 1(>71. but soon returned 
and settled in the college, and was in.stituted scholar of the house the 
U'.th day of November, 1«)71 ; but the 17th being quarter day, Thomas 
Dewey a messenger from Westfield on Connectic\it river, to the liay to 
get a minister for the people, being by eight or nine elders, met at tho 
lecture at Boston, directed to my.self, ciime to me witli a letter from Mr. 
Increa.sc Mather; and whttni. for answer, I referred to the Kev. Presi- 
dent Cliauneey and Fellows; and finding .Mr. Danforth for it, Mr. 
Oakes indifferent, rather advising to it, the President altogether against 
it. At lhi.s time the Presidi-iit .md Fellows wanted to retain Mr. Tay- 
•JU 



154 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

lor for a Fellow. But Mr. Danforth the Chief Magistrate advised, and 
did on the 18th advise with Mr. Increase Mather and Mr. Flint. Their 
advice was positive for it. 

" Nov. 27, I set out with Mr. Dewey, and arrived at Westfield Dec, 
1. On Lord's day I preached to them from Matthew 3d, 2d — my first 
sermon, Dec. 3, 1671. 

" My going to Westfield with Mr. Dewey, was a great part of the 
way, by markd trees : I arrived and lodged the first night at Capt. 
Cook's, in the little village." 

At the time of his arrival, Westfield was a frontier town, then and 
for a long time after exposed to the attacks of a savage foe, by whom 
many were from time to time waylaid, assaulted and murdered. The 
population was small, and for a series of years were regularly gathered 
within the fort at night, and through the day labored within reach, at a 
moment's warning, of their fire-arms. 

This condition of things offered few inducements, to an educated man, 
to settle among them ; nothing to gratify ambition, or pamper indul- 
gence. On the Sabbath the people were called together by beat of 
drum. 

The fort referred to was, I have been informed, upon the farm, which 
has ever since been, and still is owned by the descendants of Rev. Mr. 
Taylor now George Taylor, his great-grandson. 

The paucity of population combined with the extreme insecurity of 
person and property, for a long time delayed his installation as pastor of 
the church in that place. 

The letters missive calling a council, to organize a church, and to or- 
dain the pastor, were dated July, 1679. The council was requested to 
convene on the last fourth day of the sixth month, which was August 
27, 1679, old style; from which it will be seen that the ecclesiastical 
year commenced with the month of March. The council consisted of 
the Rev. Solomon Stoddard of Northampton, Mr. Strong, ruling elder, 
and Capt. Aaron Cook and Lieut. Clark, messengers. Rev. John Rus- 
sell of Hadley and Lieut. Smith and Mr. Younglove, messengers. Rev. 
Peletiah Glover of Springfield, teaching elder, and I. Holyoke, Deacon 
Burt and Mr. Parsons, messengers, and one messenger from Meriden, 
Conn., the pastor being detained by sickness ; there were present also, 
as "guests," the Rev. Mr. Samuel Hooker of Farmingtou, Conn., and 
the " Worshipful Major John Pynchon " of Springfield. 

After the council met, the following persons were organized into a 
church, namely, Edward Taylor, John Maudesley, Samuel Loomis, 
Isaac Phelps, from Windsor church. Josiah Dewey and John Inger- 



Al'l'ENDIX. 155 

soil from Nortliainpton, and John Root from Farminf^ton, Conn. The 
candidates were examined, after which Mr. Taylor preached from Eph. 
2 : 22. After the candidates had a.s,sented to the articles of faith, Mr. 
Stoddard the moderator of the council pronounced them to bo a church 
of Christ, orderly gathered. They tht-n appointed the Rev. Mr. Tay- 
lor to receive the rii;jht hand of fellowship. 

The moderator then asked them who they would have for otlicers? 
" Whereupon," says Mr. Taylor, " my unworthy self was put under a 
call, to he pastor unto them." lie was then onlained. The ordina- 
tion was to this efFuct : " You, Edward Taylor, are calleil to this church 
at Westfield, into the office of a pastor, and having accepted their call, 
we do here, in the name of Christ, pronounce you pastor of the church." 

Previous to this time, however, namely, in l<"i71, he had been mar- 
ried to Elizabeth, daughter of the eminent and useftd minister of the 
church in Norwich, Conn., James Fitch, D. D. 

Little is now known of the forms of love-making in those days ; 
unless we take Sir Charles Graudison as a fair exponent. The sub- 
stance we may presume the same in all eyes. But if we may form our 
judgment from the instance of letter writing, which has come down to 
us from Mr. Taylor, we must presume it to have been hardly more a 
sinecure, in those times of the puritans, than it was in the days of the 
good old patriarch, Isaac. 

For a long time, he was the only physician within many miles of 
Westfield. He accordingly provided himself with medical, as he did 
with theological and other books, by transcribing. I have a small book 
of this kind, inscribed on the title page : " Such things a.s are herein 
contained are the Principalis of Physick, lus to the practical part thereof, 
being extracts of that famous Physician, Riverius." 

It would give me great pleasure to add further notes in his rcligiuus 
and literary labors, but I am ailmonished that I have already fairly 
subjected myself to the imputation of what the old gentleman wouhl 
have denominated " cacoethes scribendi.^^ 

I will therefore close with an extract from a note written by President 
Stiles, on home blank leaves of the medical book just referretl to. 

Yours respectfully, 

IIknuy Wvi,i-vs Taylor. 

Great-grand.son of the Rev. Edward Taylor. 

•• My mother was the daughter of the Rev. P>hvard Taylor, A. .^I., 
Pa.stor iif the Congregational Cimrch in Wcstlield, in Ma.v.s;icimsett.s. 
He was an excellent da.ssical scholar, being master of the three 



156 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

learned languages, a great historian, and every way a very learned 

man In December, 1671, being, as near as I can learn, about 

twenty-nine, be began to preach at Westfield, where he continued in 
the ministry fifty-seven and one-half years, to his death, June 24, 1729, 
.Tstat eighty-seven. He married his first wife, November 19, 1674. 
His church was not gathered, nor was he ordained till 1679, as the 
settlement was small. He had fourteen children, six of which were by 
Mrs. Ruth Wyllys, a second wife, whom he married June 2, 1692 ; 
one of which six was Kezia, my mother, who left me, her first and only 
child, at her death, December 4, 1727, JE. twenty-five and one-half 
years. I was born November 29, 1727. 

" The greater part of grandfather's library descended to me, but did 
not entirely come into my hands, till after' the death of my father, Rev. 

Isaac Stiles Characteristic anecdotes, very curious in botany, 

minerals and natural history. He was an incessant student, but used 
no spectacle glasses to his death. I have a manuscript folio of six hun- 
dred pages, his commentary upon the Evangelists. He was a vigorous 
advocate for Oliver Cromwell, civil and religious liberty. A Congre- 
gationalist in opposition to Presbyterian church discipline. He was 
physician for the town all his life. He concerned himself little about 
domestic and secular affairs. Attended to all the public state of the 
provinces and the Parliament; greatly detested King James, Sir Ed- 
mund Andross and Randolph ; gloried in King William and the revo- 
lution of 1688 ; felt for the dissenters in all their apprehension in Queen 
Ann's reign, and triumphed in the House of Hanover. He had a 
steady correspondence with Judge Sewall of Boston, who duly com- 
municated to him all the transactions in the assembly, and occurrences 
in the nation. 

" A man of small stature, but firm ; of quick passions, yet serious and 
grave. Exemplary in piety, and for a very sacred observance of the 
Lord's day." 

The late President Stiles of Yale College was his grandson ; and to 
him he gave many of his manuscript volumes, which, it is supposed, are 
still in the library of that college. In one of the medical books, which 
he had transcribed, of those which were loaned to him by Judge Sew- 
all, President Stiles wrote out the above brief description of his grand- 
father, which also was sent to Mr. Bates, by Mr. Taylor, in the letter 
referred to; and we also copy, in extenso, the " model love-letter," ad- 
dressed by the parson, to Miss Fitch, the young lady who was probably 
induced thereby to become his wife. Though the letter, to young la- 
dies of the present day, may not have been interesting, as the story 



Al'PKXDIX. ir)V 

which Dosdoniona ri'niu'stcil Othello to tt-aoh his frioiid to tell to hor, 
yet there was more theolooj in it ; aixl the " pen and ink " picture of 
the dove, with the poetry inscrihed within the marginal lines of its pe- 
riphery, formed with it, such a comhination of persuasion, as to render 
the invitiition, what the reverend pastor prohably ititeudud it to be, — a 
case of "effectual callins;." 

A modi: I. L()\'H LKriKll. 

The following is a copy of the original letter atnong the collections 
in the Connpcticnt Historical Society, written hy the Rov. Edward Tay- 
lor, of Westfield, Massachusetts. July, 1G74, to Miss Kli/alioth rit(di, 
daughter of the Rev. James Fitch, one of the original proprietors, and 
the first clergyman settled in the town of Norwich. 

This letter was written hy the Rev. Mr. Taylor to Miss Fitch — re- 
puted to have l)een a beautiful and accompli.shed lady — during his 
courtship, and was to have been read, if opportunity offered, at the bi- 
centennial dinner, by Colonel George L. Perkins, a great-great-grand- 
son of the Rev. Mr. Fitch. 

Wkstfield, Mass., 8th d.iy of the 7th month, 1674. 
My Dovk: — I send you not my heart, for that I hope is sent to 
Heaven long since, and unless it has awfully deceived me it hath not 
t.aken up its lodgings in any one's bo.som on this .side the royal city of the 
lireat King; but yet the mo.st of it that is allowed to be layed out u|Kin 
any creature doth safely and singly fall to your share. So much my 
post ])igeon presents you with here in these lines. Look not (I entreat 
you) on it as one of love's hyperboles. If I borrow the beams of some 
sparkling metaphor to illustrate my respects unto thyself by, for you 
having made my brea.st the cabinet of your affections as I yours mine, 
1 know not how to offer a fitter comparison to .>iet out my love by. than 
to compare it unto a golden liall of pure lire rolling up and flown my 
brea.«t, from which there flics now and then a spark like a glorious iH'ani 
from the body of the flaming sun. Rut alas I striving to catch \\wso 
sparks into a love letter unto yourself, and to gild it with them as with 
a sun beam, find, that by what time they have fallen through my |K'n 
U|»on my paper, they have lost their shine and fall only like a little 
smoke thereon instead of gilding them. Wlierefore, finding myself so 
much deceived, I am ready to U'grudge my instrunients. for though my 
love within my brea.st is so largo that my heart is not sufficient to c<m- 
tain it, yet they c^m make it no metre room to ride into, than to K(|ueo7.o 
it up betwixt my black ink and white paper. Rut know that it is the 



158 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

coarsest part that is couchant there, for the finest is too fine to clothe in 
any linguist and huswifry, or to be expressed in words, and though this 
letter bears but the coarsest part to you, yet the purest is improved for 
you. But now, my dear love, lest my letter should be judged the lav- 
ish language of a lover's pen, I shall endeavor to show that conjugal 
love ought to exceed all other love. 1st, appears from that which it 
represents, viz: The respect there is betwixt Christ and his church, 
Eph. 5th, 25th, although it differs from that in kind; for that is spirit- 
ual and this human, and in degree, that is boundless and transcendent, 
this limited and subordinate ; yet it holds out that this should be cor- 
dial and with respect to all other transcendent. 2d, Because conjugal 
love is the ground of conjugal union, or conjugal sharing the effects of 
this love, is also a ground of this union. 3d, From those Christian 
duties which are incumbent on persons in this state as not only a serv- 
ing God together, a praying together, a joining in the ruling and in- 
structing their family together, which could not be carried on as it should 
be without a great degree of true love, and also a mutual giving each 
other to each other, a mutual succoring each other in all states, ails, 
grievances ; and how can this be when there is not a love exceeding all 
other love to any creature? And hereby if persons in this state have 
not love exceeding all love, it's with them for the most part as with the 
strings of an instrument not tuned up, when struck upon makes but a 
jarring, harsh sound. But when we get the wires of an instrument 
equally drawn up, and rightly struck upon, sound together, make sweet 
music whose harmony doth enravish the ear ; so when the golden strings 
of true affection are struck up into a right conjugal love, thus sweetly 
doth this state then harmonize to the comfort of each other and to the 
glory of God when sanctified. But yet, the conjugal love must exceed 
all other, yet it must be kept within bounds, for it must be subordinate 
to God's glory; the which that mine may be so, it having got you in its 
heart, doth offer my heart with you in it as a more rich sacrifice into 
God through Christ, and so it subscribeth me. 

Your true love till death, 

EDWARD TAYLOR. 
This for my ft-iend and only beloved 
Miss Elizabeth Fitch, 
at her father's house in Norwich. 

The reader of this letter, does not fully appreciate it, and can not do 
so, without seeing the fac-simile of it. An imperfect description can 
not dt) justice to it. The reverend gentleman brought the fine arts to 



AITEXDIX. J-)'.) 

his aid; and iip;li<ly '*<% for lf»vf' itself is (»ne of the fiin' arts, ami is so 
dcnoininafiMl liy one <if the old lloinan {)f»ets. 

Our typos do not allow us to copy the pictorial illustrations; hut our 
readers may fancy a "pen and ink sketch" of what he calls a dove, in 
the lower corner of the letter, of the size of an nld-f;i>lii<ined ninepence, 
without feathers, and looking like a plucked chicken. It was necessary 
to denude it of its feathers, to have room to inscrihe upon the side of 
its body the following couplet : 

Tliis (love and olive brnndi to you 
Is Iwtli a post and emblem too. 



EMKiRATION FROM WKSTFIKLl) TO'I.EWIS COUNTY, N. Y. 

"We have received from W. Hudson Stephens, a lawyer in Lowvillc, 
a descendant of one of the 6r8t settlers, a long and interesting letter 
of fifteen pages, detailing the history of the settlement of this flourish- 
ing county. We should be glad to insert the whole letter, but our 
limits forbid it. We, however, insert several extracts from it, which, wo 
think, will be read with great interest. The examjde of their emigra- 
tion is oidy a continuing exhibition of the pervading spirit of the peo- 
ple of that period. It seemed to be a part of their very life, not to 
rest ; but, when a local habitation was once established, to look forward, 
and spy out another place to yo to. The emigrants to Lewis Cminty, 
were established in the south-westerly part of the town, in and near, 
what has been called, appropriately, "honey-pot;" but, a land, flow- 
ing with milk and honey, was not sufficient for them. The wilds of 
Western New York, the vicinity of Indian tribes, at times hostile, 
but, at all times, harrassing neighbors, a life of deprivation and toil, 
in "the forests' primeval," and a separation from the society and com- 
forts of civilized life, were rather to be jireferred, to the safety, the 
quiet, and the prosperity, which here were within their reach. We 
hope that the whole document of Mr. Stephens' will be published, 
inasmuch as it throws additional light upon tiie history of those times. 

From Westfield, a consideral)le emigration took place at the close of 
the last and commencement of the present century, into what wits then 
known as "The Black River Country," in what is now (l)^'"'.)) Lewis 
County, N. Y. Many of the emigrants became permanent residents 
and prominent citizens. 

]}y the treaty of Fort Stanwix, (22 Sept. IThm,) this county was 
ceded to the State of Now York, by the Oneida Indians, antl became 
ojMjn 8CM)n after to settlement. No n»ap earlier than IT'.t.'*, had any 
trace «)f the Hlack River, which empties, after a north-westerly course 



160 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

in Lewis County, into Lake Ontario; and as late as 1796, Morse in 
his geography represents this river as flowing into the St. Lawrence, at 
Oswegatchie, now Ogdensburgh. Fort Schuyler (Utiea), on the Mo- 
hawk ; Whitestowa just west of Utica ; and the residence of Baron 
Steuben, on the tract donated to him, on the route to the now Lyons 
Falls, (the ancient "establishment" of the French Company), were 
then the principal " settlements" in the then western part of New York 
State. 

Almost immediately on its abandonment by the forlorn and disheart- 
ened Frenchmen, in the fall of '96, the tide of " Westfield " emi- 
gration set into the Black River country. 

In 1797, the town of Leyden had a few settlers, and Lowville, now 
the county seat of Lewis County. New York, was thrown open for set- 
tlement June 2, 1797. Ehud Stephens from Westfield took the first 
contract, for four hundred acres, in Lowville, at three dollars per acre. 
Returning east early in 1798, Stephens and Jonathan Rogers, (son of 
Jonathan who died at Westfield, 3Iarch, 1805, aged ninety years,) left 
their homes, and reaching Lyons Falls, on the Black River, embarked 
with their families and goods April 10, 1798, on a flat-bottomed 
boat constructed by themselves, twenty-five feet long by seven wide, 
by the aid of pit saws borrowed of the remaining French settlers, 
and floated with the stream in a clear day down the Black River to 
Lowville, where they spent the first night in a shanty erected in the 
woods the preceding season. On board this pioneer boat, from West- 
field, were Johnathan Rogers and his children Bela, Polly and Isaac ; 
Ehud Stephens and his wife Mercy, and children Clarrissa, ApoUos and 
Harvey and Zebulon Rogers. On the voyage Clarrissa Stephens was 
swept off the boat by overhanging trees, but was rescued. 

The settlement thus begun in the center of Lewis County, continued 
to flourish. Lowville is now the county seat, the terminus of a railroad, 
and the chief trading, financial, legal and educational center of Lewis 
County. 

Among others who settled from Westfield were Ehud Stevens, Rufus 
Stephens, his father, Harvey Stephens, Ira Stephens, Truman Stephens, 
Col. Zeboam Carter, of the One Hundred and First Regiment in 1812, 
Silas Dewey, William Dewey, Bela Buel, Putnam Buel, Orem Bush, 
Silas Weller, Rev. Isaac Clinton, who removed from his pastorate at 
Southwick to Lowville, John Bush, George A. Stoddard, Silas Bush, 
William Sacket, Eli Rogers, Enoch Lee, Captain Winthrop Shepard, 
Major Ezra Clapp, Winthrop Weller, Ichabod Tuttle, Philemon Hoad- 
ley, Dr. Walter Dewey, who built the first house in Turin, Major Zack- 



APPENDIX. 101 

ariah Bush, Justus Woolwortli, Collins K<'lIofr|v, Silas K«'ll<t<r!T, Ivlwanl 
Bancroft, Samuel Dean, .Justus Sackt-t, Stoplion Ilodt, Kt'uben Pitclit-r, 
Levi Adams, Roland Bnell, Bradford Levi, Richard Russell, Jr., 
Joseph and Elislia Arthur, sftns of Rii'lianl Arthur, and five dauglitcrs 
of said Richard, and William King, all those were the settlers in Lewis 
County, and they and their descendants are among the prominent citi- 
zens in the different towns of that county and the vicinity. 

The celebrated land purchase of Alexander McComI) of 3,670,715 
acres, included the entire area of Lewis County. Upon the close of 
the Revolutionary War, the uncertainty of the frontiers, and refusal of 
the British to surrender their military posts, had a depres.sing influence 
upon the first attempt to .«;ettle upon their purchase, the Indians at Fort 
Regis drivins; off the first intruders. Indeed, the British at Fort Os- 
wego, as late as 1792, denied permission to Des Jardines, Pharoux 
and Brunei, to pass into the Black River country, on the lands of 
the Castorland French Company, who owned 210,000 acres, and the 
management of which was located in Paris, France. Dcs Jardines, 
who had boon chamberlain to Louis XVI., and Pharoux, a gentleman 
distinguished in science, were commissaries of the company, while 
Brunei was the surveyor, and was afterwards constructor of govern- 
ment dock-yards, and the tunnel under the Thames, in London, 
England. 

The French settlement began in '92, and operations of the com- 
pany clo.sed in '9G ; Pharoux having been drowned in the Black 
River, Dos Jardines, who states he aspired to be called " the father of 
the country," being supplanted by Tillier, atid Brunei returning to 
Europe. 

In looking over the manuscript of Mr. Stephens, we were struck 
with the longevity of the.se emigrants, and their prolifical character. 
He gives the ages and number of children of these early jjcttlers, and 
it was generally the case, that they reached the age of eighty years, and 
left a round dozen of children for each family. 



EXTJNGL'ISIIMKNT OF THE LNDLVN TITLE. 

The conduct of the early settlers, in buying up the title of the In- 
dians, is highly to their credit. No doubt that they made a good bar- 
gain, but, after all, it was a bargain. It was the union of two minds, 
of two parties aide and willing to contract; and, in the case of the set- 
tlors of Woronoco, the price paid was a good one, considering that it 
was a disputed title. It appears already in this volume, that, in two 
•Jl 



162 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

years after the date of the deed, a copy of which we publish below, this 
same sachem Alquat, and Wollump, his son, made complaint, that 
Amoakisson, claiming to be seized in fee, of land claimed by them, had 
conveyed the same to Lieut. Cooper; and though the bounds are not 
given, yet, it is evident, that there were conflicting jurisdictions between 
the sachem of Woronoke and Pochasuck, as Alquat describes himself, 
in the deed, and Amoakisson. We have not examined the records of 
Hampshire for the petition, and know not of the subsequent proceed- 
ings, after the reference to it, by order of the council. [Vid. : Mr. Bates' 
address, p. 55, in this volume, and Records of Massachusetts, vol. 4, 
part 2, pp. 504, 505.] The deed was discovered by Mr. John B. Ban- 
croft, one of our inhabitants, and a descendant of one of the original 
settlers of the town, in a package of old papers in his house ; and he 
communicated it to The Westjleld Times, in which it was published, 
September 22, 1869. The deed is a valuable one, and Mr. Bancroft 
has received several tempting offers for it. But, in his opinion, an 
aboriginal document, the oldest known to exist in the recorded history 
of our titles, deserves rather a frame in the Athenaeum of our town, 
than in the archives of some foreign antiquary. 



[ We copy from the Times, the following.'] 
AN ABORIGINAL DOCUMENT. 

We give below a true and attested copy of the original deed of trans- 
fer from the Indians to the old settlers, of a large tract of land lying 
between " Little and Great Rivers." It will be read with especial in- 
terest just at this time. It was found by John B. Bancroft in a pack- 
ao-e of old papers which he had in the house. It is a true copy of the 
original deed, and was certified to by Isaac Phelps, Town Clerk, June 
30, 1G69. This is the oldest document, relating to the history of the 
town, in the " original package," that we have yet seen. But let the 
"old settlers" search their garrets; there is no knowing what may 
"turnup." 

These presants testifi That Alquat the Indian Sachem of waranoake 
and pochasuck for & in consideration of the sum of forty Pounds in 
english act being so much sterling to him in hand before ye sealing & 
Delivery hear of well & truly Payed by ye Capt John Pynchon of 
Springfield for & in behalf of Capt Aron Cook, Mr James Cornish 
Mr Joseph Whiting Geo Phelps Tho Noble David Ashley John Roote 
& other ye Inhabitants of waranoake alais Westfield. The Recipt 
whare of the sd Alquat Doth Acknolidg by these presents and thare- 



AI'l'KNDlX. 103 

witli to 1)0 fully sati^fycd & ftntrntcil hath (livi'ii (Jrantod liargaiticd 
& sold & liy tlicsu jireseiit.s Doth fully & ck'urlly and ah.s<jluttdy Give 
grant IJargain & sell unto Capt Aron Cooke Mr James Cornish Mr 
Joseph Whitiii!]; George Phelps Tho Nolde David Ashley John Kooto 
of Westfield alias waranoake aforcsad For themselves and ye Present 
Inhabitants of ye aforesad Place or Plantation and theire successors & 
assignes from time to time & unto their hires For ever according as 
theire severall Proportions or Divisions shall he laid out & proportined 
to them. A certain Parcel or tract of Land Meddo & wood Land ly- 
ing & being at waranoake aforesd on ye south side of woranoake River 
ye greato River & on ye North or northerly side of ytj Little River or 
Foart River adjoining on 3'e pouthea.-^t, East and North east on Land 
formerly Purched by Saml Marshlield of Springfield for the Inhabi- 
tants of Westfield aforesd and on ye south and souwest on ye Little 
River aflfoar named comonly called the fort River on yo North or North- 
erly it is bounded by ye greate River called woranoak River & so Run- 
ing up waranoak river to ye falls near about a mile above ye present 
Housen to a marked tree thare and from that marked tree it runs off 
westerly or souwesterly upon a straight line to the Little River or fort 
River to a stone at ye Nooke or Poynt whare all ye good land ends & 
wharc going up yo hill the pine plaine begins the sd conmion or Pine 
Plain being ye westerly or Norwesterly bounds of this tract of Land 
ye line of Division being run by several English going a long with ye 
Indian from ye fawls in the greate River over to that stone afore named 
which is on the top of the hill by the Little River whare the Pino plaine 
begins To have and to hold all ye Parcel or tract of Land before 
mentioned containing severall Hundrid acres with all ye ])rofits and 
apurtinances thareupon or thareunto belonging to the sd Capt Cooke 
James Cornish Joseph "Whiting Geo Phelps Tho Noble David Ashli'y 
and John IUx»te for ye Inhabitnts of WestGeld aforsd according as Di- 
vision tharcof shall be made to them & their hires & assignees for ever 
only Reserving & Exemting oute of ye presant sale seven acres of 
Meddo Land for Wollunp, son of sd Alquat, which seven acres resarved 
and exemted Lyes in a nooko by yo Little River & against land now 
Divided and Proportioned to Mr Joseph Whiting & is to W at the soul 
disftosc of the sd Alijuat & WoUump all so Reserving LilnTty for In- 
dians to fish & take foull and ye sd Ahjuat Doth covenant and pa^miso 
to and with ye sil Capt Cooke James Cornish Mr Joseph Whiting Geo 
Phelps Tho Noble David Ashley &. John R<Mit tliat he will wive them 
harndes from all manner of claim of any person or |>ersons Lawfully 
claiming any right title or intrest in the premises otherwl-w than yc 



164 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

Reserve or exemption of ye seven acres aforesd for Wollump In wit- 
ness whereof the sd Alquat hath hearunto aflSxed his hand and seall 
this 30th day of June 1669. 

Subscribed sealed & Delivered in ye presence of Samuel Marshfield, 
William Brooks Timothy Cooper John Watson, 
the mark of Indian witnesses 

Wollump, his mark 

Wollamunt, his mark f 
The mark of Al 8 quat. 
Alquat ye Indian Sachem acknowledge this instrument to be his act 
and deed this present 30th of June, 1669 before mee John Pynchon 
of Springfield. 

Attested by me Isaac Phelps, 

Town Clerk. 
(A true copy of ye original deed.) 



ANOTHER ANCIENT DEED. 

We give below, another " old tyme " document which was brought 
to light through the research of Mr. John B. Bancroft. It bears date 
of October 18, 1702, and was a transfer of certain real estate by 
Joseph Atherton of Northampton, to Nathaniel Bancroft, grandfather 
of Capt. John Bancroft, who built the first brick dwelling-house in 
Hampden County, which Barnum Perry now occupies. The document 
covers the present homesteads of Joseph Coburn, David Perry, Barnum 
Perry, Joseph Woolworth, Rodney Cowles, Charles L. Atkins, and a 
hundred and fifty acres still in the hands of the Bancroft heirs. Some 
four hundred acres were subsequently added by Capt. John, to the 
original purchase, which is included in the property owned by the per- 
sons named : 

To All Parsons to whom these presents shall come. Greeting, know : 
yee that Joseph Atherton of northampton In the County Hampshire In 
her majesties province of the massacusets Bay, In america Coxwainer 
for And In consideration of six pounds currant money already received 
from Nathl Bancraft ser. of Westfield In sd County : hath on this fif- 
teenth Day of septerao Ann Dom 1702 Anng Regn Regina Anna Nunc 
Angl primo : Given Granted Barganed sold and fully and absolutely 
passed over unto sd Nathaniel bancraft A certain parcell of Land Ly- 
ing within the bounds of westfield In a place called Pogassuck being 
about the eleventh part of a farm of four hundred acres, it Being His 



APPKNOIX. 16') 

whole share Tii that farm, as it Lyt-s In common witli others and yot 
luidivitled And wliic-h Jvaml however huttiNl or hereafter upon division 
may be butted and Bounded cont^iininj^ about thirty-eight acres be it 
more or less : t)ie aboue sd Joseph Atherton doth fur himself and heirs 
give and grant bargain and sell And by thest! presents hath given 
granted Demissed cnfeoffeed alienated conveyed Bargained sold and 
firmly freely fully absolutely and clearly passed over unto The aboue 
sd Nath IJancraft his heir successors, and Assigors To Have And To 
Hold: possess and Injoy and l)y virtue hereof shall at all times here- 
after quietly and peaceably hold occupie possess and Injoy the same full 
and clear And clearly acquitted and discharged of and from all, and 
all manner of former and other gifts grants bargains sales Leases leg- 
acies mortgages Joynters Dowries titles of Inheritance and of every other 
Incumbrance whsoever Hereby given unto sd Bancrafl for himself and 
heirs quiet And peaceable possession of aboue sd Land with all its 
Privilidges Ixjnefits advantages Commonages conveniances Rights Lib- 
erties hereditiraents Emoluments ways passages waters Springs Trees 
timber stone and of all and every other appertainance thereunto yield- 
ing Resigning Releasing quit claiming Discharging and Delivering All 
his Right* title privilidg claime and Interest In or unto the aboue sd 
Jjands unto the sd Nath Bancraft his heirs and Assigns forever And the 
sd Joseph Atherton doth for liimselfe and heirs covenant Promise And 
engage to and with sd Nath Bancraft that at the time of his subscrib- 
ing to and sealing of this Instrument and untill Delivery thercoff he 
was the true real sole and proper owner of the Aboue sd Lands and 
stood Lawfully seazed and possessed thereof having in himselfe full 
power And Lawful authority to sell grant convey and Assure the same 
as a good pfect and Absolute estate of Inheritance In Fee simple with- 
out any manner of condition revertion or Limitation So as to alter cliangt^ 
defeat reverse or anyway, as to make null and void Tlie sale thereof 
And that he and his heirs will and shall at all times Hereafter: defend 
warrant and maintain the same to and agst all and Everv l»son or par- 
sons Laying any Lawful claim or challeng thereunto hereby declaring the 
aboue sd Land and all and singular the premises To lx> the true real 
and projHT estate of the aljoue sd Nath Bancroft his heirs and success- 
ors the which he or they may Record or enroll To themselves or make 
over by deed or will to any other parson whomsoever And for the lx?t- 
ter assurance and confirmation thereof the aboue wl J«>seph Atherton 
doth engage himselfe and heirs further to do or cause To be done such 
act or acts thing or things device or devices as sd Bancraft or his heirs 
shall devise advLsc contrive or reasonable desire At his or their own 



166 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

proper cost and charge : In witness whereof lie Hath hereunto sub- 
scribed his name and fixed his seal the day and year aforesd 

Joseph Atherton, 
Signed sealed And Delivered In presence of us: 

( Joseph Hauley, 
-c Ebneezr Pumrey, 
( John Gowdans, 

Joseph A. Atherton parsonally Appeared this 18th Day of Oct. 1702 
Before me the subscriber one of the Majesties Justice of Peace for the 
County of Hampshire And did Acknowledg This Instrument to be His 
Act and Deed. Cora 

Joseph Hauley. 
May 3rd 1715. Received and recorded in the Records of the 
County of Hampshire Book No. 6 page 68th. 

John Ptnchon, Regtr. 



PICTURES OF WESTFIELD AS IT WAS. 

There have been published, during the past, and a portion of the 
present year, in The Weslfield Times, several numbers of articles with 
the above title. They have reached already forty-one in number ; 
and it is expected that the series will be continued during the autumn 
and winter. It has been suggested, that, though they were hastily 
written for the columns of a newspaper, yet, as they relate to the former 
growth of the town, and to the men who have lived here, and con- 
tributed to its growth, it is desirable to collect and republish them, for 
the use of the present and former citizens. They cannot be said to 
belong, appropriately, to this volume ; and yet, in some respects, they 
are germane to the nature of some of the documents and records, 
which we have already published. We have concluded, therefore, to 
insert a few numbers of the "Pictures;" and undoubtedly some of the 
old inhabitants will recognize the originals, from whom they were drawn. 



No. 1. — Court street, extending from the Green, as far west as the 
foot of the mountain, contained, within the recollection of the writer, 
only the following dwellings : 

Beginning on the north side, and going west, there was, first, the 
residence of Hon. Samuel Fowler, Esq., which stood near the present 
residence of Hon. James Fowler, his sou. The second house was the 



Ai'PExnix. 107 

lioiso place, then ooou|iio(l l»y .J<ilin Ini^orsoll, Escj., clerk of tho cimrt. 
Till) tliinl house was a small bulltliiiK near the south eml of Washiuj;- 
ton street, which did not long abide there. Tho fourth was the Caleb 
Weller house, so called, now occupied by T. P. Collins, and then owned 
by Elijah Bates, Es(j. Tho fifth was the Jared Weller place, on tho 
top of Pine Hill, the house where Ejifi^ar Weller now lives. From 
thence, the road ran a distance of nearly four miles through an unbroken 
forest, to Ezra Sackett's, where his son Roland lives; and next was 
Stephen Sackett's, or Landlord Sackett's, in which house now lives Mr. 
F. Atwater. Returning on the south side of the street, was the "Two- 
chimney house," a large dwelling, opposite tho cemetery, tho cellar of 
which is still visible. Next, at the foot of Cemetery Hill, at "Tho 
Elms," was the old "Landlord Holconib house," a large establishment, 
where H. B. Smith's house now stands. It was kept as a sort of tav- 
ern ; and report said, that people used to assemble there for the playing 
of cards. "The landlord" was careful not to have gaming in his do- 
mains ; and when the fires were kindled, and the tables set out, he used 
to put down the cards with great solemnity, pronouncing these words at 
the same time : "There, gentlemen, I forbid your using the.se cards in 
my house, in gambling, or at any unlawful game I " It is presumed 
that this adjuration was heeded, as I never heard of any consetjuent 
prosecution. The next house was at the foot of Pine Hill, occupied by 
Horace Ilolcomb, and the same building now standing near its then .site. 
Then next was the Royal Weller place, at the old Pine-tree, at the end 
of Day avenue. Next east was the Oliver Weller house, a one-story 
building, where Sctli Cowles' new house now stands. A little distance 
ea.st was the Stephen Ashley house, on the ground of II. Uooker; and 
still east, a small house on C. I. Snow's lot, occupied by William P. 
Hodgett. , The old Dr William ITolland place, subsequently owned by 
Dr. James Holland, was then on its present site; as was also the hou.so 
of Elijah Bates, Ksq., in tho shadow of the three beautiful elms, which, 
though young, gave proiiii.se of all their present beauty. Next exst was 
the old L-^rael Mo.seley house, which wa.s demolished in 1H;}3 by Hon. 
William G. Bates, to make room for his ])resent residence. Next is tho 
Abel Whitney houst?, since owned by Dr. William Atwater, and now by 
Dr. James Holland. On tho ea.sterly corner of the lot .stoo<l a one- 
story building, occupied by Elijah Bates as a law ollice, and by other 
persons a.s a drug ami grocery .store. 

On tho corner, where the Morgan house now stands, was the mansion 
of the late John Phelps, Hsi. These were all the buildings then on 
tills brn.ul .iiiil Im' lutifiii -.tiri't In other respect.- tin- cliriiiL'f- arc wurthv 



1G8 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

of notice, as showing the improved taste of the age. There were then 
no streets branching off from it ; no Washington street, or Bates street, 
or Pleasant street, or Day avenue ; but the cows fed, where now stand 
the beautiful houses which are the homes for a busy population. A re- 
markable feature of change is apparent in the adornment of the trees. 
There were then the elm in the yard of Mr. Fowler, four or five syc- 
amores on the Phelps place, in line with the magnificent denizen in the 
corner of Mr. Bates' homestead, a butternut in front of Dr. Atwater's, 
the three noble elms in front of the E. Bates place, and one elm in front 
of the Dr. Holland place. Further on was the 0. Weller old pine, and 
two trees at the T. P. Collins place. But those were all. The branch- 
ing elms in the centre and along the sides of this broad avenue, which 
overarch the street, and interlace their branches, are all a recent im- 
provement. It may be interesting to know the ages of some of these 
noble trees. The three elms at the E. Bates place were planted in 1800, 
and the one in front of the Holland place, though so much smaller, the 
same year; the two elms near C. I. Snow's, in 18.30; the elm in front 
of S. Fowler's, and the two in front of William G. Bates', in 1835. 

In a future number, we shall continue our reminiscences of this old 
town, and of its old inhabitants. 



No. 2. — We continue our pictures, by a notice of some of the people, 
who lived in Court street. Beginning in the order of the residences, we 
take first the Hon. Samuel Fowler. He was the father of Hon. James 
Fowler, and Mrs. Francis F. Dwight, of Stockbridge. He was a man 
of great wealth and influence, the leader of the Democratic party in 
this town, and one of the leading men in the county. His real estate 
was large and valuable, and he devoted his time, during the latter part 
of his life, to its agricultural improvement. He died in 1823. It is 
related that one Holcomb, on election-day, asked him "who our party 
was going to vote for." He mentioned the names of Gov. Eustis and 
William King (then of Maine). Holcomb pondered over it, somewhat 
in doubt. At last he said, " Esquire Fowler, I don't exactly like to 
vote for Bill King. He is a funny kind of a deputy sheriff, always 
playing tricks on people. For my part, I should rather vote for some 
sober kind of a man, like Col. Welles." 

Opposite to him lived Dr. William Atwater, a graduate of Yale 
College, 1807, and a son of Rev. Noah Atwater, the predecessor of 
Rev. Isaac Knapp. He was a learned physician, of large practice, and 
a most interesting man. To his last days he was full of wit and humor ; 



Arri;xi)ix. 1 <"»'.) 

arnl it is said that these (|Ualiti(!s wore as cnicacioiis as his pills. Such 
nuulicine certainly is more agreeahle to take ! Upon the return of ]*ar- 
son Knapp, from a sunnner excursion, ho met the dfjctor, a few milen 
out, and inquired of liim, in his somewhat formal manner, " Well, 
doctor, how is all my tlock?" The reply was, "I believe they are all 
right, except that some of your old rams and ewes have broken out of 
pasture." Dr. At water died in IH.'J.'J, leaving one son, William, in 
New York, John in this town, and Harriet Canipbell of Pitlsfiold. 

John Ingersoll, K^([., was a native of this town, a graduate of Y:dc 
College, 17lMt, and a lawyer. He married a lady from the West In<lie3, 
and had a large family. When the old County of Hampden wa.s di- 
vided, he was appointed Clerk of the Courts, and rentoved to Spring- 
field, where ho died in l.Sl(t, in office. Until his removal, he wa.s in 
the practice of the law ; a just man, and an honest lawyer. 

Opposite to him, resided Elijah Bates, Est(., the other lawyer of the 
town. Mr. Bates came from Ea.'^t Granville, was a graduate of Yale 
College, 170 1, studied law with Hon. Joseph Lyman, then of West- 
field, and continued at the bar till 182/>, though for several years, his 
time was principally devoted to agricultural pursuits, and the Eighth 
Ma.ssachusetts Turnpike, of which he was a large owner. His attention 
was much given to the care of highways ; and the work he performed on 
Pine Hill, in reducing the grade, has so changed its appearance, that it 
bears no resemblance to what it was in days of yore ! He died in is.jO, 
leaving children, Hon. William G. Bates, Mary A. Warner of Waterloo, 
N. Y.. and Henry W. Bates of New York City. 

It is siiid that an old lady once complained to Parson Knai)p, of the 
unrca.sonablcncss of pronouncing such a woe upon the lawyers ; ''for," 
.said she, "there's Estj. Ingersoll and Esq. Bates are really too good 
men to l)o sent to hell I " 

On the present lot of Hon. William G. Bates resided Lsrael Moseley, 
a graduate of Yale College, ITdO, and his large family. One of his 
sons, Wentworth, .studied law seven years, but did not gain access to the 
bar. Israel was an infirm man, eccentric in his con<luct and notions, 
from his youth to his extreme age. He wa« accustomed t4) annoy his 
neighlMir, Dr. Atwatcr, by his profes.sed desire for a deatlHlo.><e, as he 
said he wanted to see what there was in the ne.xt worlil. The doctor 
at la.«t prepared for him a |)<trtion of tartar-emetic, and lalK-led it *' A 
death do.se." He added to it a few couplets, of which I only remem- 
ber the following : 

" 'Twill save yoii from sorrow, your npighlior!* fnun evil, 
\i,.! ..11,1 you 1)11 p.iekiii); |>o.st liiiote to tli"' I"*'' 



170 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

The patient took it ; and either preceded or followed it by a large bowl 
of hasty- pudding and milk. The doctor was soon sent for. After 
much delay, he came, and with an assumed solemnity, assured his 
patient of his hope, that the death-dose would accomplish the desired 
result ! The old man gave in. " 0, doctor," said he, " I'm dreadful 
afraid it will!" Medical aid soon relieved him; but Dr. Atwater 
never had another call from him for a death-dose. 

Dr. William Holland for a time lived in the old Holland place ; but 
he at last sold out to his brother, James Holland, and removed to Can- 
andaigua, where he died. 

Dr. James Holland at once went into a large medical practice. He 
was six feet three and one-half inches in his stockings, and of an erect 
and muscular form. At the verge of extreme old age, he was as 
straight as any well-formed youth, and performed an amount of bodily 
labor which was astonishing. He had a large and apparently healthy 
family of children ; but they have all deceased, except one daughter, 
Lydia, and Dr. James Holland, now of this town. 

There were several other persons, who more recently have moved 
into the street, in relation to whom we propose to extend our notices, 
in some future number. 

We can not conclude, without referring to an incident, in those times, 
strongly illustrating the power of the imagination. ' ' The meeting- 
house" was then unwarmed. There was no fire-place or stove in it, 
and no provision for heat, except a hot brick, or soap-stone, or a foot- 
stove. There were, besides, no sidewalks, as we have now ; and the 
article of overshoes was confined to a few persons. The congregation 
used to wade " to meeting," sit with wet feet during a long sermon, 
and then hurry home to those restoring influences, which so effectually 
guarded against colds. The project was agitated, of warming " the 
meeting-house." It met with a furious opposition. Dr. Atwater was 
one of the innovators ; yet even his opinions could not dispel the dread 
of stove-heat. At last two stoves were put in. Some said, " Oh how 
comfortable!" Said others, "It makes me faint!" On the second 
Sunday, owing to a neglect to provide fuel, no fires were built. But 
the stoves were there ! One lady, of Court street, who was annoyed 
on the first Sunday, was still more annoyed on the second. She at 
first resorted to the reviving fan. She brandished it furiously, but its 
breezes could not cool that odious and distressing stove-heat. She 
untied her bonnet-strings, threw off her shawl, and opened her cloak ; 
but the stove-heat increased upon her. Unable longer to sustain the 
fury of the Nebuchadnezzarean furnace, she rushed down the broad 



API'KXDIX. I7L 

aisle, and sniiijlit relief from flic intcriiMl licat in an atmosphere of 20^^ 
below zoro. It iimy readily Im- imagiiieil, that good old Parson Knapj) 
was seized with a fit of coughing ahont that time, and that the congro- 
tion wondered, how two cold stoves eoiild protluce sueli an inllainmation 
iu only one person. 



No. 3. — Any one wlm looks, from tlie hotel, down the beautiful street 
called Broad, one-half mile in length, to its termination, at the present 
residence of Mr. Thayer, and beholds the towering tree.s, and neatly 
j)ainted houses, which ornament it, will lianlly believe the description, 
which we now give of its appearance, early in the present century. At 
the time of which we speak, to which our first memory of it refers, there 
was no house on the street between the Phelps place, on the corner of 
Court and Broad streets, and the hou.«ie of the late James Bush. The 
Green District school-house stood on the Wool worth lot, nearly opposite 
the Bush house, and forms a portion of the back part of it. Thence 
south, to the end of the street, there were no other residences, except a 
small building near the present Deacon Stowe hou.se. The Thayer house 
was then occupied by Mr. Amos Prowler, the brother of Mr. Blackleach 
Fowler, and the uncle of Charles and John Fowler. There was, also, 
on the corner opposite to Amos Fowler's, the large house of Mr. Shu- 
bacl H<ilcomb, which was but recently removed. A small cooper-shop 
stood near James Bush's house, which was sometimes used as a tenement, 
when coopering was dull. All the other buildings have been erected, — the 
beautiful trees planted, — the tastefullylaid-out grounds brought to their 
present state of ornamentation, — within the memory of the writer. 

The school-hou.se was a small structure, about fifteen feet square, 
with two high, half, or square windows to prevent sight-.seeing, a large 
fire-place in the north end, and a huge door in the south; a row of 
seats surrounding the sides of the building, with desks in front ; ami a 
row of low 8eat« in front of the desks, for the little boys and girls. If 
the building, as it was when I wont to school in it, were to be cxjvtsed 
for .sile now, I presume, cfmsidering the high price of luml>er, it woiild 
.sell for from forty to si.xty dollars ! But, in that old school-hou.so. in a 
school, kept in summer by a " rnarm," and in winter by .some young 
man, who had ln-en for a term or two at Westfield Academy, were the 
youth of Inith sexes taught I Here they learned to rejH.'at Murray's 
(Jrammar, from beginning to end ! Here they c<»mmitte<l all the rules 
in DuImiU's Arithmetic, and ciphered through all the .sunts, whieh were 
given under the different rules ! Here they were taught to read, and 
to "speak up lonil:"' and, more than all, to spell. Here they were 



172 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

brought up to respect age, and to take off the hat, and bow to the pass- 
ers by, in going to, or returning from school ! Not in a spirit of pride, 
but for the purpose of showing how men and women can fashion them- 
selves to greatness, when circumstances are untoward and adverse, we re- 
fer to the men and women who were educated in that school-house, and 
others of a like kind. Among them are some of the best minds in the 
country ; some of the best-developed business men ; and some of the 
mothers, who stand among the first rank of educated women. "What a 
debt of gratitude is due to them from the youth of this present genera- 
tion, for the educational advantages they have afforded and extended ! 
What an obligation is imposed upon them, to improve these advantages ! 

A little incident will illustrate the manner of school-discipline for 
breaches of decorum. One hot forenoon, while the pupils were " out to 
play," in the shade of the vast elm, which, standing in the middle of 
the road, spread its giant arms from the school-house to Mr. Bush's 
fence, an old man, with a bald head, was passing by them, hat in hand. 
A question arose, whether, if one of us should say to him, " Go up, 
old bald-head! " the bears would come out of the willow swamp, in the 
rear of Mr. Jessup's, and devour the children ? One of the number, 
who was rather heretical on the subject, sliouted forth the dreaded words. 
Without more than a glance towards the swamp, all but the young her- 
etic ran for the school-house, and shut the ponderous door against the 
bears. He looked closely in all directions ; and seeing none of " the 
children-devouring vermin," he marched, with an assumed carelessness, 
into the school -room, in all the pride of his bravery. But the fame of 
his exploits had preceded him. The rush of the terror-stricken chil- 
dren to this haven of safety, the sudden closing of the huge door, and 
the anxiety upon the faces of all the urchins, aroused the curiosity of 
the teacher, and a full revelation of the transaction followed. When, 
therefore, the young heretic, in all the conscious importance of his vic- 
tory over the vulgar prejudices of the world, marched proudly into the 
school-room, what was his consternation, and his mortification, at being 
seized by the indignant "?«arm," hauled over her disciplinary knee, 
and most ignominiously spanked! The recollection of this transaction 
is, to this hour, vivid, — as much so, as if " magna jmrs fm." 

A few notices of the people in the street follow : The Bush house was 
then occupied by Pliny Moseley. He had a large family of children, 
one of whom, Sybil, married Rev. H. Bingham, and went forth, one of 
the first missionaries to the Sandwich Islands. She spent a long life in 
her labors there, at a time when missionary duties were no sinecures ; 
and after wearing out her constitution, she at last rested from her labors. 



APPKNDIX. 173 

AtUT tlio tlcatli of Mr. Mosulcy, Mr. Jaiiius Hush, who then lived in 
Miiin street, Iwught the place ; and he resi«le<l there until lii.s decease, 
in IHC. I. He left a larijc family of cliildri-n. the late siicriil", Mr. Fred- 
erick Bu.sh, and the; wife of Dr. Isimc Winilworth of New Ilavcti, lu;- 
ing among the number. 

Major Archippus Morgan hought tlie rhcl|)H place, and l)uilt the cor- 
ner house. Hi.s wife was a daughter of Edward Taylor of Montgftmery, 
and a descendant of Parson Taylor, whose tablet is in the First Church, 
They left a large family of children and gnind-diildren ; Kdward M. 
l^Iorgan, Homer Morgan, and Henry T. Morgan who are brokers, and 
they and George P. Fitch, tlie husband of one of the daughters, resido 
in New York City. 

The next house was erected by Mr. Jona. Taylor, then a merchant, 
and a partner of Col. William Hooker, in a store where Colton's drug 
store now stands. When he removed from WesUield to Andover, it 
was sold, and subsequently remodeled by Caleb Alden, Esq., now of 
Springlicld, wlio sold it to Mr. Abbe. 

The next house was erected by John H. Stowe, the .son of Dca. 
Stowe, who still resides there. 

On the opposite side of the road, and next the Acailemy building, now 
the High School, is the house which was formerly the law otHce of Elijah 
Bates, Esq., which was removed there by the late Maj. Ives, and raised 
up and fitted as a dwelling. Truly that building, considering its changes 
in use and location, has been "a stranger and a .sojourner" on the earth. 

Next south, was a small hou.se of Kufus Gillett's which forms tho 
back part of the Maj. Ives house. Maj. Ives removed into this town 
from Otis about 1820 ; purchased the Gillett lot and fixed up three old 
houses, which stand between the Academy yard and the Talmadge lot. 
He occupied the one in the center, his .son, Maj. Matthew, Jr., tho 
north one, and the other was rented. 

The Talmadge house was built by Edwin .Moseley, tlie son of Israel, 
of "death-dose" notoriety. When he left town, it was purcha.sed by 
the late Elisha G. Talmadge, and is now occupied by liis widow. Ho 
left a family of children, who are all "well-to-do" in the wnrld, in 
their varictus places of residence. One of his grand-daughters re- 
cciitly married Mr. Todd, a lawyer in Washington City. 



No. I. — On the s«juth side of Little River, on the farm now owned by 
Mr. Northam, in a small farm-hou.xc, below tlie hill, resided Deacon ElK'n- 
ezer Fowler. He had a family of children, who have all emigrated for 



174 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

foreign parts, or have deceased. Deacon Fowler was a just man, always 
ready to pay, to the last cent, all his debts, and careful to collect all 
his dues. He was a very religious man, punctual in his attendance at 
meetings on Sundays and other days ; and though snow, or rain, or 
mud, covered the streets, he was sure to be seen, in his conscientious 
travel, for the mile and a half from his residence to the place of as- 
sembling. It so happened, that he had a small debt against Roswell 
Holcomb, who lived in the old Holcomb tavern, at "The Elms," on 
Pine Hill. He had agreed with him, to do his whitewashing on a 
certain future day ; and he was to begin early. On the day agreed 
upon, as he supposed, he was incensed at the non-appearance of Hol- 
comb, with his whitewashing equipments ; and he started and traveled, 
with rapid strides, towards the home of his debtor, breathing out his 
intended utterances of indignant reproach. 

Holcomb, the unconscious victim of these intended rebukes, was 
quietly smoking his pipe, on the front porch, in his usual serenity. He 
was a decided cliaracter. He was a large man, of a dark complexion, 
with black, curly hair; and he had a "big manly voice," so loud, 
that, as it was said, his " loud laugh " could be heard from his house 
to the " Green," a distance of half a mile. He was a man of great 
humor, — a sort of practical wag, — a " getter-up " of ludicrous stories, 
which he used to tell, to the great amusement of a bar-room auditory. 
We need hardly add, that he was poor ; and that he was only anxious 
for the means of present enjoyment, at the smallest exertion of his 
bodily powers, in the way of labor. Upon the morning in question, — 
a quiet Sabbath morn, — he was surprised at the rapid strides of Deacon 
Fowler, in his every-day clothes, in the direction of his residence ; and 
he was still more surprised at the salutation of the Deacon. The latter 
at once upbraided Holcomb with the breach of his agreement to work 
for him that day, in whitewashing his domicile. The quick wit of the 
latter at once took in the mistake of the Deacon, as to the day of the 
week ; and he, of course, determined to make music out of it. He at 
first denied the agreement ; but, upon the earnest asseveration of the 
fact, he fell back upon the denial of it, on that particular day. The 
Deacon became more excited ; and, at last, charged Holcomb with be- 
ing a promise-breaker, a man who would not pay his debts, and who did 
not regard his promise, or his word. 

Holcomb, at last, with an assumed solemnity, admitted his poverty, 
confessed that his life had not always been the most exemplary ; " but," 
said he, " poor as I am, and bad as I am, I am too much of a good 
citizen to do your whitewashing on this day ; and you, Deacon Fowler, an 



APPENDIX. 1 



I-) 



ofllcer (if the churcli, ought to be a^haiiifd to ask iiu". Think not," 
said lie, "that, because you live in a retired plai-e, beneath the hill, 
where man cannot see us, I au\ wicked enough to violate this day ! " 
The Deacon did not conijirehciid this "invasion of Africa;" so he 
asked Holconib what he meant. " You know, Deacon Fowler, well 
enough, what I mean ! You think that, because I am poor, and have 
to work for my living, the whole week, I am wicked enough to steal 
away down to your house, below the hill, and spend the Sabliathday in 
whitewashing!" "The Sabbath-day!" exclaimed the Deacon in un- 
afleetcd astonishment; "the Sabbath-day!" "Oh, Deacon Fowler, 
don't be a hyjiocritc, too! You well know what day it is!" And, 
warming with his pretended virtuous indignation, he shouted out, in 
his stentorian voice, " You want to insult the poverty, and corrupt the 
principles, of a poor man! You — you — you" — but the Deacon was 
no longer a listener, though he could hear the Jingry philippics, ringing 
out, like a brazen trumpet, till, at last, the bubble of pretended virtu- 
oas indignation burst, and a real, hilarious, Holcomb-laugh awoke the 
silent, Sabbath echoes of Pine Ilill. 

Only imagine the retreat of Deacon Fowler from the pious denuncia- 
tions of Roswell Holcomb ! Think of the flight of Lot from the walls 
of Sodom, and his " two-forty gait," from the })rimstone, fire and 
tempest ! With what a sorrowful heart he entered tliat house, which 
had beheld the daily devotions of his whole spotless life, and whose 
walls now looked darkly and gloomily upon his first great sin ! How 
(juickly was his person wa.shed, his Sunday attire donned, and with 
what rapid, and yet penitential steps lie sought the abode of his beloved 
pastor I There he revealed the heinousness of his sin — his forgetful- 
ncss of Gotl and of His holy day. It was in vdn, the Rev. Mr. 
Knapp attempted to qualify, or extenuate, or excuse, his transgression. 
In vain he urged, that it was a mere mistake — a mere forget fulness. 
"That," said the Deacon, "is the very thing! The commandment 
says remember! I have not remembered the Sabbath ilay to keep it 
holy ! And, what is worse, I hav»? done this sin in the presence of 
this great sinner, who has reproved me with my transgression, and 
whose laugh of exultation was heard above the roar of the water at 
Dewey's milklam." Nothing would sjitisfy him, but a full confes.sion, 
in the face of the whole congregation ; and, after the preliminary exer- 
cises of the morning service, the Deacon rose, in a seat in the broad 
ai.sle, bent his head reverentially forwanl, crossed his hands nieekly on 
his brca.st, while the pa.^^tor announced, that an aged and venerable 
brother, and an oflieer of the church, forgot that this day wa.s the Jjord's 



176 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

clay ; and having by mistake commenced his secular labors, he now prayed, 
that hereafter he might ever remember the day, which the Lord had 
made, and that he might be forgiven for his involuntary transgression. 
It may readily be imagined, that this incident was a " thing of joy " 
to Holcomb. It gave him a new story; and the inquiry, " How was it, 
Holcomb, about your whitewashing for Deacon Fowler?" especially 
when accompanied with a "glass of sling," as "drinks" were then 
called, would call forth a repetition of the facts, with such supplemental 
circumstances as an imagination, by no means barren, would suggest. 
We may remark, however, that the narration of the interview was not 
substantially exaggerated. The good parson had a quiet humor of his 
own ; and, while he venerated the purity of character, he could not 
but enjoy, and cause others to enjoy, the peculiar conscientiousness of 
one of his deacons, 

No. 5. — In reviewing the recollections of the early situation of the 
town, and contemplating its growth, up to the period of which we write, 
we feel a strong impulse to confer with our early compeers, to correct 
our doubtful impressions, or to assure ourselves of their reality. But, 
alas ! to whom shall we apply ? More than once has the beautiful lan- 
guage of the poet, thrilled upon our memory, as we have directed our 
thoughts to the days of the past, — " I came to the place of my birth, 
and said — the friends of my youth, where are they? and echo answered 
— where are they ? " 

As I have passed down the Main street of the town, from the north- 
east corner of " the Green," in the direction of Springfield, and have 
looked upon the large manufactories, the closely compacted dwellings, 
the beautiful buildings, and the large population of that busy thorough- 
fare, I can hardly realize, that, in the space of my recollection, going 
back to a period of ten or eleven years only, within the present cen- 
tury, only two male residents are now alive, who then were on the 
stage of being, and that nearly all the beautiful homes of our enter- 
prising people have been recent erections. To begin at " the Green." 
Where the Ives block now stands, was a store, occupied by Farnum & 
Hastings ; Major Ives removed it, and it now constitutes the rear part of 
the third building south of the Academy. Adjacent to the store, was 
the jeweler's shop of the late Jacob Morse, whose clocks, with his name 
upon the face, are still in being, and one of which still marks the pro- 
gress of time, . and strikes the passing hours, where the writer now 
dwells, as it has done since his birth to the present hour. He was the 
father of the late James IMorse, of whom we may have something to 



AriMlNDIX. I ( ( 

say, and tho prand father nf .laincs II. Mursu, our present town treasurer. 
His home was just east of his shop, and where the store now stands, it 
having been removed into the ctmrch avenue. The next house wa.s 
the Parks' house, on thi- ;;round where the pianr)-leg factory is situated, 
belonging to Me.ssrs Stimpson & Co., and was oeeupiud by Cornet 
Parks, a British oflicer of the Revolution, the father of Mrs. James 
Bush, and Miss Mary Parks, deceased. The Stephen Dougla.'«s house 
stood where the house owned by the "Taylor io_y,v," now .stands, with 
a small shoe-maker's shop adjoining. Dougla.ss had a family of chil- 
dren who removed from the town ; one .son of his lives in the east part 
of Hampshire County, and is a useful and respected citizen. Mr. 
Douirlass was an odd man, somewhat facetiou.«. in his manners and con- 
versation ; and, though I was very young when he departed, I have as- 
sociated him with Soiiler Johnny, in Tarn O'Shanter. He was not so 
fat, as Souter Johnny is represented in the group, but the twinkle of 
the eye, reminded one of the humorous representation of the shoe- 
maker, in the immortal work of Tiiom. There was a nickname at- 
tached to him, by his neighbors, resulting from a word of his freijucnt 
U.SC, and he was sometimes called Smoliker Doughuss, or the Smoliker. 
The next house was the Dr. Israel Ashley house, where Mr. Thomas 
Ashley now lives. He was quite a distinguished physician, and trav- 
eled over an extensive territory, the only other physician being Dr. 
Sumner, and their practice called them to the adjacent towns. Both 
Dr. Ashley and his wife died in l-Sll, and within a few days of each 
other, leaving children — Mary, the wife of ?]lijah Bates, Esq. ; Mar- 
garet, wife of Mr. Lyman Lewis ; Harriet, who afterwards Ijccame the 
second wife of Jesse Farnum, Rsq. ; and Thomas, who at the age of 
eighty-one still survives. Next, was the house of Joseph Lyman, R^q., 
now owned by Mr. James Noble, who removed to Northampton. l)ccame 
Judge of Probate, and Sheriff of Hampshire, and died at a g<K)d old age. 
His wife was a sister of Hon. James Fowler, and his son, Samuel Fowler 
Lyman, is now .Judge of Probate in that county. Adjacent to Mr. Ly- 
man's, was the Ballantine hou.se, then wcupied by Winthrop Hallantino, 
and Rev. John Ballantine, or as he was called, "Master John." They 
were the sons of Parson Ballantine, one of tho pa.stors of the church in 
Westfield, one of who.su daughters married Gen. John A.shley of Shefllold, 
the father of the late Maj. William Ashley, who was the father of Mrs. 
Jane P. Bates. " Master John " was a marktvl character. He was a 
man of much learning, of great reading and study, and in some of his 
charactcri.stics he resembled the Rev. AIk-I Sampson, whoso character 
ha-o boon so well de.«uTibod by Sir Walter Sentt, in (liiy Mannering 



178 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

He was small and erect in his figure, with long iron-gray hair, combed 
back; a marked face, a marked manner of expression, accompanied by 
a slight brogue ; his voice harsh and unmusical ; and when he sang, which 
he commonly did " in meeting," he followed the choir a note or two be- 
hind, so that his singing produced a marked sensation, especially among 
the young worshipers, who seemed to take much delight in his remark- 
able discords. Like Mr. Sampson, he was never married ; his time be- 
ing devoted entirely to study, and in taking charge of the town li- 
brary, which was kept in his chamber. He was licensed to preach ; but 
he never received " a call," except at times to supply the pulpit when 
Parson Knapp was absent. It is narrated of him, that on one of these 
occasions, there had been for a long time no rain, and the earth was dry 
and parched. " Master John" prayed earnestly for the dews upon the 
mown grass, and showers that water the earth ; and after several weekly 
petitions, his prayers were answered. The windows of heaven were 
opened, and down came the torrents, that made up the JeiFerson flood. 
The river rose to an unprecedented bight. The meadows were over- 
flowed, and still the waters increased so as really to alarm the people. 
Sunday came, and with it, " Master John," in the sacred desk, indicat- 
ing by his manner that something was to be done, and that quickly. 
He modestly referred to the earnest petitions he had offered up for the 
"cisterns of the sky," and the discharge of their contents upon "the 
thirsty ridges of the field," and how abundantly that petition had been 
answered ; and in view of the fact, that apparently a deluge was im- 
pending, he broke out into the following eloquent supplication : " Lord, 
Lord, stay thy hand ! 0, stay thy hand ! Enough ! enough ! art 
thou a going to drown us out?" It is said that the rain ceased, the 
waters subsided, and the woodchucks, and other dwellers in the holes 
of the earth, who had been drowned out, as " Master John " feared the 
people would have been, returned to their burrows, or dug new holes 
above high water mark. As I intend to finish his portraiture at one sit- 
ting, I add another anecdote which I listened to, when a boy, much of 
the interest of which will be lost to those who never heard the formal, 
pompous language of "Master John," affected as it was by a slight 
paralytical shake. He had a very small dog, who was very fond of 
amusing himself, by running after sheep. As he wished to correct this 
propensity in the dog, he applied to his neighbor, Stephen Douglass, 
for the proper directions. Douglass told him there was no difficulty, 
and if he would bring up the dog to his shop, he would cure him. The 
dog was brought. But we can not do it justice. Take the stand, 
"Master John," and tell your own story. " I went to my neighbor, 



AI'l'KNDIX. 179 

the similakor, liiiii wlin int>iulotli tlio shu^s, ami itii|uireil of liim, if I'aiik 
could be cured of his vicious projxjnsity in following after the slicep? 
He answori'd that tlierc was no ditliculty, and that if I would liring 
I'ank unto him, he would he iustrunu-ntal in his cure. Accordingly, 
I brought Punk to the shop of tho smolaker. lie at once connected 
a sliort rope to the collar of the dog ; and having caught a huge ram of 
hi.s Hook, he atlixed the rope to the horns of the ram. He then ceased 
to restrain the ram, and at the same time shook his leathern apron; this 
affrighted the ram, who ran across the field with amazing velocity, Pank 
following him unwillingly, and with uncipial steps. When they ap- 
proached the bounds of the field, the ram leaped tho fence ; and as he 
descended on the other side, he brous^ht poor Pank's head ajrainst the 
rail, and he expired on the spot." 

The Balhintiiie house was a large raan.sion, in front of which, stood 
two large elm trees ; one of them was the largest tree in the town, nor 
do I recollect ever to have seen its equal. It was cut down, in barbar- 
ous taste, because, as it was said, the roots and shade injured the neigh- 
lioring gardens. The next house was the S(juire Fowler house; the 
building is now standing, on the corner of Main and Cross streeta. 
Hon. Sanuiel Fowler resided there, before his removal to "the Green." 
Next east, was the Capt. Mather house, still standing. Capt Mather 
married the daughter of Edward Taylor, Esq., of Montgomery, sister 
of Mrs. Archippus 3Iorgan. They had a large family of children. 
Sophia, married Dr. Fitch of South Caroliiui, who left one daughter. 
Cynthia is the wife of John 13. Eldredge, Esq., of Hartfyrd, the Presi- 
dent of the Connecticut Fire Insurance Company, llowhuul Mather 
is a wealthy merchant in Hartford, and has a family of children. 
Samuel Mather was bred a farmer, and worked hard with his father on 
the "paternal acres;" but on the death of his family, being worn down 
with his .severe labor, he took up his abode with his sister, Mrs. El- 
dredge, where he resided until his death. He conceived the idea of 
founding an Atheneum, where, for a small sum, the inhabit!mt.s, and 
particularly the youth of the town, might have acces.s to Ixjok.s, and 
have a place in which to spend their evenings, in the joy of social con- 
verse, and the improvement of their minds, without being forced, 
a.s it were, into the saloons either of drink, or gaming, or l)oth, or into 
other .»ituafions of temptation to vice and crime. With this view, after 
a full consideration anti consultation, he paid, in government bond.-*, tho 
sum of $10,000, for tho purpose of providing for the warming, and 
lighting the Atheneum building, paying the salary of a libnirian, and 
other incidental expen.><es, it being understood, that the building waa to 



180 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

be presented by Mr. Harrison, and the books purchased by dona- 
tions of citizens of the town. As we all know, the building has been 
generously given, and several liberal donations have been made; but, 
we are ashamed to say, that very many of our citizens, those too of 
wealth, and who have families, who need the necessary culture, are not 
yet among the contributors. It was a glorious act of Mr. Mather, and 
it will hand down his name in the rolls of gratitude. Who can esti- 
mate the result ? Who can foresee how much of an impulse he will 
have given to moral, intellectual and religious culture, and how many 
persons may be saved, in the future, from degradation and ruin. 

But to retrurn from this pleasing digression. Next east of Capt. 
Mather's was the house of Charles King, standing on the Tryon lot ; and 
still further east, and the last house on the east side of Main Street, was 
the Landlord Fowler tavern. It is said that General Burgoyne, when 
he passed through this town as a prisoner from the field of Saratoga, 
spent the night at this tavern, and with true military politeness, kissed 
the wife of the landlord, on the morning of his departure. The house 
is still standing, and in good repair, though it has not been used as a 
tavern, within my memory. I propose to reserve the other side of Main 
Street for another number. 

No. 6. — Before we cross over to the north side of Main street, we 
insert a recollection of a story of the Rev. John Ballantine, the father of 
"Master John." We do not vouch for its truth, and therefore, some 
parts of it may invade the realm of fable. But, "I tell the tale as it 
was told to me." 

After the parson was settled, like other clergymen, he looked about 
him for an helpmeet; and as the outgoings and incomings of a par- 
son, in the matrimonial paths, are often the subject of particular regard, 
especially to those who have marriageable daughters, — and we suspect, 
that the subject was of still more interest, at a time when the office of 
pastor was, more than now, a higher office than it is at present, even 
as a militia captain was as great a man then, as a major general now, — 
it became a question of great interest to the people, who was to be in- 
stalled, as the female colleague of the parson. Rumor soon reported, 
that he had looked over the heads of the spinsters of his town, and cast 
his affections upon a kinswoman of Governor Winthrop of Boston. She 
was highly spoken of, as a lady of talent and virtue ; but she had been 
bred up in a style of refinement and luxury, and, upon great occasions, 
was accustomed to array herself in a silk gown! The deacons felt con- 
strained, by the impelling force of public sentiment, to remonstrate with 



Al'TK-NDIX. IM 

tlieir pastor, ami admonish him of the danger of importinj; sucli an ex- 
ample of e.vtravaj^anee into such a staid, (juiet and rural pi>[»ulatii)n as 
Wostfield. lie listened to them attentively, and considered their arj^u- 
meut, and finally prf)ceeded to do, as men usually do, when infatuated 
with a lady of a kindred spirit, — ho married her. 

A short time after she had assumed tlie discharge of her duties, ho 
invited liis deacons to a sort of pastoral ilinner. It wa-s gf>tten up in a 
style, which was unusual to the men of this primitive town. She pre- 
sided at the table with grace and dignity ; and hy her |K>lite attention to 
the supply of the wants of her guests, her apt conversation, and her 
kindly, though stately manner, she almost overcome their preconceived 
prejudices. After the repast was over, and she had retired, leaving 
the gentlemen to the enjoyment of their toliacco, and those luhricating 
admixtures, in which it is sjiid, the worthies of that period took great 
delight. Parson Ballautine reminded them that they had had an op|K)r- 
tuiiity of observing his wife, in the sphere of her new duties; and ho 
asked them, successively, beginning at the eldest, how they were pleased 
with Mrs. Ballantiuc '? He replied that he liked her well ; she was a 
handsome and accomplished lady. She presided at the table with the 
dignity of a (jueen, and tlie courtesy of an angel. Her meat was done 
to a turn, and her puddings and pies had a melting riciine.'>s about them, 
which had never been equalled. " But, reverend sir, there is that siU: 
gown ! I ob.served how it shone, and rustled. It was a sort of snare 
to my own eyes; I could h;u-dly help being tempted to imagine how my 
own wife and daughter would look in one of those robes of satin ; and 
if such is tl^e ca.se with me. how will it be with those who have not the 
same restraining grace?" Thus this deacon struck the key-note, and all 
the others vibrated in unison. All admired her; all wondered at her 
accompli.shraents; but all of them were distressed at that silk goicn ; 
and they lamented, that such a highly educated, virtuous, affable, and 
intelligent woman, should have her affections so strongly placed upon 
the vanities of this world. 

At the conclusion of these expressions of opinion, the gootl pastor 
pondered for a few moments in deep thought, and at last observed to 
them: — "I see, my dear brethren, that no one of you seems exactly to 
be satisfied with Mrs. Ballantine; and as you do not feel inclined to 
take her yourselves, I will thank you to let her alone, and I will keep 
her myself." 

No. 7. — The first house ujion tlie nortli siiU- of .Main >Uvv\, at tlie 
comer of " the Green," at the time of my first recollection, wai the Joel 



182 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

Farnam house. It is the same building, which now stands north of 
the brick building on the corner, from whence it was removed for the 
erection of the latter. The house next north of it, then cornered upon 
it, fronting on Elm street, and was used as a rent. Mr. Farnam was a 
partner of Benjamin Hastings, and their store was, what is now, the 
rear portion of one of the Major Ives' houses, and stood on the site of 
the Ives-corner brick building. They failed in business, and removed, 
Farnam to Albany, N. Y., and Hastings to Hartford, Conn. They 
had numerous children, and though unfortunate in business, there was 
no stain upon the character of either of them.' Henry Hastings, now 
of this town, was one of the sons of Benjamin, and has returned hither 
in poor health, to spend his life here. 

Where the Second Congregational Church now stands, stood the 
" Tavern," as such places were then called, of Gad PalmSr. But the 
word " Tavern " is now obsolete. The word was first supplanted by 
'■'Hotel" and at last " House," with a prefix, has become the style. If 
a guest were to speak to the landlord, (or we suppose we must sink the 
"landlord," too, and call him the "proprietor,") about his Tavern, he 
would feel indignant, and perhaps order him to leave his " House. ^^ 
He would feel somewhat like the Londoner, upon an occasion, when, at 
the request of an American, he pointed out to him the King. The 
American was surprised at the plainness of his appearance, and ex- 
claimed, " Is that stupid-loooking chap the king ? " " Gracious heaven ! " 
cried out the Londoner, " do you call his most gracious Christian 
majesty a chap'^ '^ 

But we return to Mr. Palmer's tavern, for we love to linger around 
" that once familiar word," and we would gladly shut up house, bid 
adieu to house-keeping, for a time, at least, and linger about such a 
tavern as he and his wife kept. We sigh for the past, when we think 
of it. So clean, so neat, the table and bed linen so white, the parlors 
so pleasant, the table so spread with a very few dishes, shining like 
polished ivory, and the food upon them so perfectly cooked and flavored, 
such an air of quiet and repose, all about the premises, no noise, no 
tumult, no carousing, no swearing, — it realized, in its full peifection, 
the idea of "a traveler's home!" "Carousing and swearinsr," did 
I say ? Ben Wade could not swear there ! Saulsbury could not 
get drunk there ! Neither of them could meet the calm, mild eye of 
Uncle Gad ; and if they were to call for a second glass, he would gently 
remind them, that they had had enough. The justices of the Supreme 
Court, in their journeys to Lenox, were accustomed to ride over on 
Saturdays, and spend a quiet Sunday at Palmer's tavern, and resume 



AI'l'KNDIX. iS.'j 

their journeys on Monilav ; and the old Solieifor-denoral Dnvis, wlio 
was no mean jurlr^c of " tlio creature comforts," was plad to hear tliem 
company. 1 well rememlier the enthusiasm with which this famous epi- 
cure used to speak of the joys of I'almcr's tavern, and lew In- would 
rhapsodize over her cot!'ee. 

Next, and near to it, was the house of Mr. Hastings, sul).M.M|ucntly 
owned and occupied l>y the late Elijah Arnold ; and next to that wa.s 
tlie hou.^^e of Major Uougla-s, now occupied by Charles C. Fowler. A 
large willow tree stood in front of the hou.se, which spread its giant 
branches over the roof and the road. The Major had a large family 
of children. Capt. Charles Douglas, and Lucy, the first wife of Hon. 
James Fowler, died in their native town ; the other children removed 
from home ; some of them to the vicinity of Trenton, N. Y. ; but there 
are living a large number of their children, of talent and character, 
who stand high in the estimation of the world. 

Where the house of Deacon Chadwick now stands, was an old hou.^e 
of Enoch Clark. He died there. His eldest son, Enoch, removed to 
Ohio, his daughter, the wife of Mr. Swan, formerly of the Woronoko 
House, to Cincinnati, 0., and Rev. Perkins K. Clark is the pa.stor of 
the church at Mittineanue. There was an old pota.^h-building, .standing 
where the cottage, recently owned by the late William Stimpson now 
stands, which was pulled down. In 1?<34, Mechanic street was opened, 
by Jfinathan Taylor, A. Post and William G. Hates, a.ssignees of Rob- 
ert Whitney. There was considerable debate about the propriety of 
opening it. The lot owned by Mr. Whitney was appraised at S1,U0U ; 
and the question was, whether the building lots would sell for that sum. 
One of those gentlemen agreed to make up any dclicit ; and the heirs 
of Mr. Clark consenting to give a portion of the laud, the .street was 
ojR-ned. In this way a large number of building-lots were created. 
An auction was had ; all the lots were sold ; one of the assignees pur- 
chased sevend of them. The .sde amounted to a considerable excess 
of the app^ai.>^al, and for the lots which he purch;ised, he received un 
enhanced price. Every one, who now pas.ses through that beautiful and 
den.>*idy |K»pulatcd street, will wonder at the di>ubt which was then ex- 
pres.*<o<l, about the growth of Westtield. 

The next hou.se is that ir) which the late Lyman Lewis live<l and 
died ; and next to that, were the house and cabinet-maker's shop of 
Era.>>tus tiraut, who recently died at the atlvanced age of ninety 
years. He was a decided, energetic, passionate man, prompt in all hw 
business, with an iron will, and a determination which never paused in 
its purposeti. He kepi a large number of workmen and apprentices in 



184 WESTFIELD Bl-CENTEXNIAL. 

the shop, which now stands, as a dwelling, adjacent to the old mansion, 
now undergoing repairs at the hand of Mr. Frederick Bush, the late 
sheriflF. His passions, now and then, led him into difficulties, but which 
were in themselves laughable. One day it was announced in the shop, 
that his hog was in Mrs. Lewis' garden. He at once turned out all his 
hands, caught the hog and put it back in the pen ; and he used a large 
quantity of material in making the pen hog-proof. But, alas, in a few 
days word was brought that the hog was again in that garden. " Turn 
out," said he, " catch him ! " Every hand ran with him, and the catch 
was made. Four men, each at a leg, carried the unruly animal to the 
pen, and were about to put it in his old home. " Not there, not 
there," said he, " he has got out once ! Take him to the shop ! " It 
was done — for an authority, prompt as military, abided there. "Lay 
him on the block ! " It was done also ; and then, with bis hatchet, he 
cutoff the hog's head! "There!" cried he, "get into Mrs. Lewis' 
garden again, will you?" 

A few years ago, Rev. Dr. Davis submitted the question to his parish- 
ioners, whether they would keep Saturday or Sunday night ? And he 
requested each one to express his opinion in writing, as he said it was 
desirable to have an uniformity among his people in keeping the whole 
of the Lord's day. The answer of Mr. Grant was characteristic of the 
man. It ran thus : 

" I am not strenuous ; but I always have kept Saturday night, and 
I always shall. E. Grant." 

Close by the shop was a small, brick, district school-house, and then 
the house of Mr. George Morgan, who died there. His family have 
all removed, except his widow and the wife of Mr. Reuben Loomis of 
Court street The next house east, was that of Mr Jeremiah Moseley, 
in which George H. Moseley now lives. The old meeting-house for- 
merly stood on the corner, this side of the meeting-house, and it was 
burned early in the present century, before my birth. The "Court- 
end," or center of the town was, at that time, there. There were held 
the town-meetings ; there was Mr. Eager's store ; and thfere that in- 
dispensable adjunct of a town-meeting, the large tavern. But, as 
business began to concentrate about " the Green," and the principal in- 
habitants to follow the current of business and trade, there was a very 
natural desire for a central sanctuary; and, probably to anticipate a 
quiet division, some over-zealous " reconstructionist " applied the torch. 
It was said, that the universal people mourned the loss of an excellent 
bell, and the town clock. It is a pity, at least, that the clock was burned, 
as it would be useful in correcting the irregularities of the rickety 



APPENDIX. 185 

tliinc;;, wlii(*h now cnnnts the iineiinnl hours in tho turrot of the First 
Con;;re<;atinn!ilist Churcli. Mr. Mosi'h-y had a hir^i; family of chil- 
dren, one of whom wu.s the wife of the late Major M. Ivos. Jr., an<l who 
died, leavini; one daii<;hter, wife of Mr. W(K)d of Louisville, K y. ; and 
the only reniaiiiinj;; one of them now alive, is George {]. Mo.seley. The 
next house ea.st, is the Henry Taylor hou.«e, now owned by his son, 
Ilezekiah. Mr. Taylor died several years ago, leaving a family of chil- 
dren. 

Next stood the old red house of Jedediah Taylor, on the bank of the 
river. lie also had a large family of children, and died at a good old 
age. In fact, it was fashionable and common in Westfield, in those 
days, to have large children, and large familii'S of children. Many of 
the householders aimed at a dozen, and few fell short of half that num- 
ber. If they did so, they commonly made up in length and quantity, 
the lack of numbers. Mr. Taylor wa.s one of the largest farmers in 
town, a grave, quiet man, an<l no one stood higher than he did. as a 
judge of stock. And hero let it be remembered, that his son. Major 
George Taylor, came honestly by his knowledge on this subject ; as 
those who remember the "steer," and who b«jught their steaks and 
roasting pieces can testify. It is saitl, that the judgment of the Taylor 
family, in regard to the weight of cattle, wiis so correct, that it was 
used to test the accuracy of Fairbanks' .scales. 

The first meeting-house in this town stood near the house of Mr. 
Taylor, on the spot where, until recently, was the town jxniiid. It was 
a small building, and was taken down, about the time the one was erected, 
which was afterwards burned. lioth of them had large, square, upright 
pews, with few of the conveniences for hearing, resting, and keeping 
comfortable, during an intolerably long sermon, that motlern houses of 
worship afford. 

I believe I have noticed all the residences in Main street, at the |te- 
riod of my early memory, and I think I can remember the erection of 
all the others in that busy thoroughfare. I propose to ga into some 
other street in my next number. 



No. 8. — Beginning at Squire Fowler's corner, as it was called, 
though it wa.s not angular but round, the first building north of the 
hou.so, was the A.shl)el PLiger store, where J. 11. Morse and Dr. II. Hol- 
land trade. He had removed fmm the old location near the old meet- 
ing-house, to " the Green," and kept the store in the building in which also 
was kept the i)ost-office, and which was burned with the tavern in 1833. 



186 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

The store and post-office had closed shutters, and it was said that the 
latter was occasionally used for a social game of cards. On one of these 
occasions, on a Saturday night, an unusual interest was taken in the 
game, and some small sums of money were hazarded. Entertainments 
also were provided, of which those who did not engage in the play, of 
course, partook. At last, drowsiness invaded the revellers, and they 
concluded to go home. What was their surprise, to see, on opening 
the door, that the day was breaking, and that the snow, which had 
fallen noiselessly during the night, was some three feet in depth. Their 
grief, at once became audible. " What will my wife say?" said one, 
" How shall I get into my house ? " said another, " When the people 
come to meeting, they will see the trails from this office to all the 
points of the compass, and every one will know what has been going on, 
and who has been engaged here ! " said a third. Amid the varied 
expressions of regret, one of the company, who seemed to feel more 
sorrowful than the rest, at last broke out in the following lamentation : 
" You have played cards, and made money ! You have played and 
lost money ! you have come out about even ! you all have enjoyed 
the gaming ! but I have done nothing but mix up the liquor, and hold 
the candle !" 

Adjacent to the store was the tavern, kept by Mr. Goodenough, who 
ultimately removed to Montreal where he kept a first-class tavern. It 
was a large, three story building, with a hall in the upper story for 
dancing-schools, balls, parties, &c. After Mr. Goodenough left, 
Joseph Morgan kept the tavern. Then Major Archippus Morgan took 
possession, and kept it for several years, till at last he removed to a 
hotel in Hartford ; and from there, he returned to this town, and built 
the house on the corner of Court and Broad Streets, in which he lived 
till his death. The tavern was then the stage-house, on the road from 
Boston to Albany, and was frequented by a large number of travelers. 
It was also the place of resort for the people of the town. It was a 
sort of modern exchange ; with an addition, in the shape of a liquid, 
yclept y?*/), which modern "exchanges" do not provide. In the coals of 
the bar-room wood-fire, were kept a suitable number of flip-irons ; and 
after the small-beer, made of hops, dried pumpkins, and other ingredi- 
ents, which compound required an infusion of Santa Croix, or some 
other stimulant, to render it intoxicating, had been modified by the 
addition of eggs and sugar stirred together, one of these irons was 
thrust into the " muff, " or " half mug, " as a dose for two, or one 
person, was called, until the liquor was raised to 212° Fahrenheit, 
in which state it was passed to the guests, and then, — I declare 



AIM'r.XDIX. 1S7 

tlio liari' n;irr:iti(iii, revives the jileasurcs nf my infaiiey ! and I almost 
feel like tryinj;; a hrvw i»f tlie artiele, just to ascertain whether the 
flavor whieh alades upon my palato to this hour, is a true, or a fanciful 
roeolle<!tion ; whether L am imlehteil for my enjoyment t(» R<jgers, or 
Akensiile. 

At ono of the gatherinjip at the tavern, the Hip had performiHl its 
more than accustomed rounds, and the sitting had been prolonged to a 
later than the usual hour. At last the company broke up, and left for 
home. One old gentleman, who lived some two or three miles ofT. was 
unable to find his horse. He was a splendid glo.swy black, witliout a 
white hair upon him ; and was so well acquainted with the peculiarities 
of his master, that in whatever state of mind or body his master was, ho 
would carry him safely home. At the usual hitehingpost, there .stood a 
horse, but it was not his. It had a star in the forehead, and four white 
feet, and he disclaimed the ownership of a horse with sueh vile marks 
upon him. So he took to the road, and footed it home, as well as his fat, 
and his gout would permit. In the morning, he was in town betimes, 
with the oiler of a large reward for the horse or the thief He declared 
that he had left him the night before, at the post where that whitcfoot- 
horse then stood ; that no one knew the owner of the latter, and tiiat in 
his opinion, the thief had left the old, white-footed, broken-down speci- 
men, whieh stood, with hanging head at the post, in exchange for his 
own high mettle steed. At last, some one proposed to try the mettle of 
the abandoned horse. A boy mounted him, and with a little switch, 
he started up, with a fine gait; and in the judgment of the bystanders, 
was a more valuable beast than the .stolen one. Upon looking at the 
mouth, to learn his age, the white star began to rattle off, and a little 
rubbing removed every trace of white from his face and feet. The sad- 
dle, too, was recognized, and, in short, the old captain found that some 
one had improved the animal by a little whitewash. "Confound that 
rascal," said the old captain, calling the wag by his sup|K).sed name, "to 
make me travel three miles on foot, to gratify his deviltry." 



No. 9. — On the site of the briek building, where the oiin-c oi Wil- 
liam G. liate.s, and the stfire of C. I. Snow are now kept, was formerly 
an old wood store, owned and occupied by Mr. Lyman lA'wis ; and at 
the pcriotl of "the late war," as the second war with (.treat I^ritain was 
called, it was removed, at first to the present site of the Hampden 
liank, and subsoijuently, t«i where the Whitman block now stands, from 
whence it ttM)k up its lino of march to one of the lateral streets, on the 



188 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

west of Elm street, and was at last metamorphosed into a dwelling- 
house. The brick store, first spoken of, was erected about the year 
1813, and was the first erection of the kind in Westfield. It was a 
splendid building. The step-stones were cut from sandstone, by a 
workman in West Springfield, and the store was large and spacious ; it 
was three stories in height ; and, though it wanted its present piazza, it 
was called "the brick store," and regarded as a monument of the 
enterprise of the builders. Those who look upon it now, enlarged and 
improved as it is, will readily perceive the difterence between the 
simple taste of fifty years ago, and the ambitious, pretentious, and ex- 
travagant desire for display, which has become a vice of this age. We 
ought, of course, to make our stores comfortable, and to construct them 
substantially, and upon substantial foundations ; but, if there was less 
of the gorgeous in their appearance, and more of mercantile honor in 
the business, and, what is also greatly to be desired, if the merchants 
would prefer to pay their debts, live within their means, anS look with 
a proper feeling upon insolvency, it would be an advantage, not merely 
to the merchants, but to their customers. 

Nest north of the " brick store," was a wooden store, formerly owned 
by the late Bohan King, the father of Henry, William and Seth King. 
He was a hatter, and died many years ago. The store was once occu- 
pied by Richard Falley, who was an inveterate fisherman. He would 
leave the key in the door, and with his fishing rod, would take to the 
streams, as if fishing was the main business of his life. One of his 
friends remonstrated with him, alleging that his absences incommoded 
his friends who wished to buy goods. " Why," said Falley, " I always 
leave the key in the door!" "Yes, but they may omit to leave the 
money, or to charge for the goods taken, and so you will fail." 
" Well," said he, " that may be so ; but, if a store can't support itself, 
it's no store for me ! " 

It was subsequently occupied by William Hooker, Jr., and Jonathan 
Taylor, for a long number of years. Colonel Hooker came from West- 
hampton, and Mr. Taylor from Montgomery. The firm was at last dis- 
solved, Taylor continuing in their old store, and Hooker removing into 
the drugstore, with Jessup & Co., where Dr. H. Holland now keeps. 
Mr. Taylor removed to Andover, where one of his sons, Edward, resides. 
Colonel Hooker remained here till his recent death. As a merchant, and 
as a man, Colonel Hooker was a most estimable person. In the store of 
Hooker & Taylor, there was no jockeying, — no "two prices " for goods. 
Every one knew, that if they sent a child for goods, the order would be 
supplied, as if they went themselves. There was no marking down of 



ArrKXDix. ISO 

n few articles, to a sum Im-Iciw cost, as a bfu't to rajolo nistomors, 
whoi'vor tlioy niiwht ho, and oach ('ustotnor wmt away with piTfi-ct 
confidoiico in the good faiih of those estimiihlo merchants. In the 
lonji lift! which they h'd liero, they h'ft no stain n|Miri tln'ir morcaiilih' 
reputation. 

For several years hefore his death, Colonel Hooker wiw in poor health, > 
and out of husiness. lie was a most genial man ; always in g»)od hu- 
mor, always kindly and friendly; attttntive to the sick, miiiistrrinu; to 
the suflcrins; and afliicted ; a pleasjint companion, as well to the child as 
to the person of mature a<j;c ; and when ho left this world for a hetter, 
he left no Vtottor man V)ehind him. "His life was gentle I" * * 
"This was a man ! " 

It may Vk' interesting to the readi>rs of the "Times," (o have the 
names of the several occupants of the public buildings on the west side 
of "the (•recn," during thf pp^sont half century. Ashhell Eager and 
Hon. Samuel Kowlcr were in partnership in the store where Dr. Hol- 
land and James Mor.-^e now ticeupy ; then Fowler & Douglass (Capt. 
Charles) ; then Farnani. King & Co., consisting of Jes.<e Farnnm, Da- 
vid King and James Fowler; then Thomas Ashley ; then William King, 
Jr. ; then Jessup & Co., and Colonel Hooker; then Dr. Henry Hol- 
land, and James H. Morse. 

The tavern has been occupied by Capt. Adnah Sackett ; Samuel 
Eldredge ; his son Samuel Eldredge, the father of John B. Eldredge ; 
Asa Goodenough ; Joseph Morgan, who removed to Hartford, and whoso 
son is one of the firm of Peabody, the London banker; Major Arcliip- 
pus Morgan ; John A. Swan ; Charles K. Bingham and I. M. Parsons ; 
I. M. Parsons; Charles Brown; Lewis Chapman; A. B. Whitman ; 
Mr. Fairfield, and Mr. Piekard, the present m^cupant. 

The brick store was occupied by Lyman Lewis. Robert Whitm'V, 
Deacon A. G. Chadwick, A. E. Jessup, J. R. Rand, Albert Rand 
and George Whitman, Snow & Thayer, Charles I. Snow, and Tim- 
othy Snow. 

The King store, by Richard Falley, Major Witter, James Dougla.sj*, 
Thonia.s Shehlon and King; Loring Palmer, Dr. Clark, druggist, 
Hooker k Taylor, and M.ijor Joseph Root kept the |xist-office in the 
part occupied by Dr. Clark a.s a drugstore. 



No. !<). — North of the Great River bridge, the changes in the 
ap|M'arance of that lo<«ality are still more marked and noticeable. The 
erection of the bridge itstdf, has wrought a marvelous effect upon the 



190 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

prosperity of that portion of the town. The old bridge was erected 
across the river, in a line just in front of the Major Noble door-yard 
fence, the house now being occupied by Mr. Rockwell, who purchased 
the estate of the heirs of Major Noble. The latter was a mill-wright, 
and an ingenious, hard-laboring man. He purchased the grist and 
saw-mill, which formerly belonged to Chauncey Atkins, and which 
were much out of repair, and went to work upon them. They were soon 
put in a more efficient state, and the public were better accommodated 
by his enterprise. He was a short, thick-set man, every lineament of 
whose face, and whose every motion indicated the spirit of determin- 
ation, which was incorporated in him, and which formed a part of his 
being. When Major Noble made up his mind, it was made up! 
Change or yielding, seemed to be no part of his nature. I do not 
mean that he was an unreasonable man, in forming his opinions. So 
far as I had occasion to know him, in that respect, he was careful and 
circumspect, and also fair and candid ; But, after he had settled upon 
a conclusion, there was the end of discussion and negotiation. The 
" ita senatus decrevit! " was not more unbending. I happened to have 
several opportunities of observing this trait in his character, as his 
counsel ; and I think I have never seen it displayed in a more decided 
manner. 

He made an impression upon the troops of men and boys, as well as 
upon the militia, by his appearance on parade. His large, burly body, 
somewhat resembling the portraits of the late President Taylor, arrayed 
in a suit of dark blue, with his half-moon hat, and a flaming red 
feather, stretching up from it, and that large, square, stern face, and 
those large, glaring eyes, looking for all the world, as if the sword 
which he wore was ready to spring outward to his hand, at every breach 
of discipline by his troops, or any misconduct upon his lines, by the 
spectators, presented an appearance of military energy and decision, 
which the more benignant, and firm look of General Shepard, or the 
bustling manner of P djutant Dewey, with his gleaming spontoon, 
failed to display. 

The Great River bridge, at that time, was an uncovered wooden struc- 
ture, placed on trestle-work, and was about six hundred feet long. At 
the south end, a causeway was built up to the shore, sufficiently high, 
in common freshets, to prevent the river from running over it, but which, 
in the great spring and fall freshets, was swept away, by the fierce and 
foaming torrent of the stream. The traveler, who rides along the banks 
of the Westfield River, from West Springfield to Becket, and sees it, at 
times calm and placid, and at others almost diverted from its bed into the 



AITKNOIX. 101 

canals ami fluiuos of the manufacturiim ('stalilisliinciits, wliidi its waters 
propel, will ha surprised to learn that, in the trial of the ease of Diekin- 
son anil Boyle, in 1.S.').5, it was proved, that tho water rose oif^htcon feet 
in a sinj^le night ! It was not to he expected, that a hridpe of that kind, 
standinf; on trestle-posts in the rnpiils helow tlie dam, when huge eakca 
of ice from the pond wore hurled ilown against its foundations l)y Hueh 
an irresistilde current, could withstand, for a long time, tho imnicnso 
shock; and the fact was. that rarely did one of the great freshets occur, 
when some portion of the hridge was not home off' hy the waters, and 
the causeway washed away. The constantly recurring expense of re- 
pairing the hridge and causeway, and <»f rebuilding the parts removed, 
suggested to several of the citizens the necessity of changing the site to 
its present location. There was a strong opjwsition to the jilan. It in- 
volved the payment of land-damages, and especially damages to the 
mill yard of Major N(»hle ; it changed the public travel, which formerly 
went past the eld hotel, and the house of Ira Yeamans, Sen. ; and then 
the enormous expense of a covered bridge, with stone piers and abut- 
ments, were all held up as a bugbear to frighten and terrify those eco- 
nomical and timid souls, who did not know that " there is that with- 
holdeth more than is meet," which " tendeth to poverty." The result 
of a long, and animated di.>^cussion, in town-meeting, was a vote, in 
which six persons only, voted for the project, in opposition to the resi- 
due of the town. 

This decisive vote, did not put an end to the agitation. The friends 
of the project were active and resolute. The Injoks of the town were 
ransacked.. and the expenses of maintaining the then present bridge, 
were exhibited with a startling amount. But, still they were met with 
a decided refusal. Fortunately, for the interests of the town, the bridge 
over Little River went off" at that time ; and the majority .so far yielded 
to the |)ertinacity of those rash innovators, as to consent, that a covered 
bridge might be erected at that place, which they hoped would convince 
them of their error. It was accordingly erected. The result was satis- 
factory, but it was not the result expected. Tho.«e, wlio had taken the 
lead in the opposition, became advocates of the proposed change; and, 
at the next fortunate flood, which, as if to drown out the whole evil ele- 
ment of oppo.>-ition, swejtt away almost every ve.'*tige of the bridge, llie 
town voted to change the location, and to build the present covered 
bridge. Tho erection was completed in IHlO; and now, for a pern kI 
of over tliirty year.**, the town has saveil thou-sjinds upon thou.sand.-* of 
dollars, by the improvement, not to speak of nund>erle.ss other advan- 
tages, affecting fli Mvi-nience, sjifctv .ind rumrurt of <iur citizens. 



192 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

No. 11. — Noticing, a few days since, the decease of the Rev. Hiram 
Bingham, one of the first missionaries to the Sandwich Islands, we are 
led, by a very natural association, to his wife, formerly one of our citi- 
zens, and to the circumstances connected with her marriage, her enter- 
prise, and its results. 

Sybil Moseley was the daughter of Lieut. Pliny Moseley, who lived 
in the house now occupied by the widow of James Bush. She was 
born September 14, 1792, and educated at Westfield Academy. Her 
parents died in 1810, and 1811; and she and her three sisters, were 
thus left orphans. Sybil was a good scholar ; and when she arrived at the 
age of twenty-one, she commenced teaching, in different and distant 
towns. She was a remarkably mild and gentle person in her manners; 
in fact, her portrait, taken at the time of her marriage, reveals the char- 
acter of her mind and heart. The portraits, — her husband's being also 
taken on the same canvass, — were sent by him to Mr. Bates, for exhi- 
bition at the bi-centennial jubilee, and he placed them in the Westfield 
Athenaeum. Soon after her connection with the church, in 1812, she 
conceived the idea of becoming a missionary. Elijah Bates, Esq., be- 
came the guardian of the property of the children; and, when not out of 
town, they made it their home at his house. Missionaryism was a fre- 
quent subject of conversation ; and Sybil used to amuse the family by her 
fanciful pictures of future life, seated in a large rocking-chair, and sur- 
rounded by a school of little, half-clad heathens, imbibing their knowl- 
edge of the alphabet, and of theology from her instructions. While on 
a visit in Connecticut, she heard of an ordination of missionaries, which 
was to take place, at Goshen, who were intending to commence their 
work iu the evangelization of the Sandwich Islands; and she, at once, 
repaired thither, to attend the ceremony. She was, of course, intro- 
duced to them ; and, in company with Mr. Bingham, she came to Hart- 
ford, and, after a visit to his friends there, to Westfield. The announce- 
ment of so sudden an arrangement, was, of course, a great matter of 
surprise to all the people here ; but, in the course of four weeks, the 
newly married pair started for the place of their future labors. The 
occasion was one of great interest. It was sudden. It was a new 
thing. The Isles were in a state of savageism. It was the place of 
the murder of Capt. Cook ; and the inhabitants were accounted as lit- 
tle better than cannibals. But, neither she, or her husband faltered ; 
and, starting in the fall of 1819, with the good wishes and prayers of 
all her friends, she arrived at her place of destination in the spring of 
1820. 

The result of her labors there, in conjunction with her fellow-labor- 



Al'I'KNDlX. I'.lo 

ers, lias been of worM-wido iiuiiDrfaiioo. Tliose In^autiful islands have 
been redoemod from lioatlicnism ; and, though the ]Mi|mlation has de- 
creased in its numbers, yet the people have increased in intelligence, 
and the products of their labor have added to the oomfort.s of the world. 
I doubt not, but that Mrs. liiiigham was not surpasi^ed, in her devotion 
and zeal, and in her earnest and faithful labors, by any other missionary, 
who ever went forth to a foreign land. Iler whole soul was in the work. 
She was, in a peculiar manner, fitted for it ; and there was a pervading 
enthusiasm in her mind, which gave to her whole life, the highest im- 
pulse of Christian duty. 

In 1840, her failing health compelled her to relinqui.sh this great ob- 
ject of her life. She returned here, the mere wreck of her former 
self; and, after a few years of suffering, she died in 1>'4S. Some time 
after her death, her husliaiid was married to Naomi, the daughter of 
the late Jacob Morse, with whom he lived until his death, a few week.s 
since, at New Haven. He was a n)an of remarkable energy and devo- 
tion. He aimed at nothing less, than to do his part in the conversion 
of the world. Certainly, he took, as we express it, in homely language, 
the butt-end of the log I We can scarcely conceive of a more unprom- 
ising, or a more dangerous i)lace for missionary laltor. But, on the 
arrival of this devoted band, the doors seemed to swing open ; and, in- 
stead of the ]>erils which their friends anticipated, they entered at once, 
into the conti<lencc of the King, and of a people, which was dispo.scd 
to listen to their teachings. Mr. Bingham soon became " the power 
behind the throne ;" and some of that class of residents, and tempor- 
ary .'sojourners, who felt the restraints of wholesome laws, upon un- 
bridled passion, were accustomed to call him " King Hingham I " But, 
whether he was king or subject, he adhered to his great work. He sus- 
tained the King, in his abolishment of idolatr}'. He formed their 
lingual jargon, into a written language. He translated the gosjnjl, 
school books, and p.salms and hymns into the language of Polynesia. 
He intPKluced these benign influences and imjirovement.s, which have 
swept away the mud-built hovels of a filthy Indian village, and substi- 
tuted the elegant residences of a (yhristian city. He lived to see an 
idolatrous nation, sunk in the lowest depths of human degradation, ele- 
vate<l to a state of industry and intelligence, and taking a res|XH;tablo 
rank in the fan^' <>f nations. 

The funeral of Mr. Hingham was fully attended by a large concourse 
of people ; and the eflbrts which he had put forth in human improve- 
ment, were well delineated by the clergj-man, who led in the duvutiuDal 
exercijjee. 

26 



194 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

No. 12. — About the year 1815, there came to this town two bachelor 
brothers, — Samuel and Elijah Arnold. They established a store in the 
building, next east of the Hampden Bank. In process of time, they 
dissolved; "Uncle Sam," as he was called, occupying the easterly, 
and Elijah, the westerly tenement. Elijah, after many years of bach- 
elorhood, married Hetty Clapp of Southampton, and lived, until his 
death, November, 1850, in the old Benjamin Hastings house, where 
are now the Westfield Atheneum, and, rearward, the large buildings 
of the American Whip Company. 

Uncle Sam was a marked character. Some people thought him 
insane ; others, merely very odd : but all agreed, that there was some 
" method in his madness, " and some shrewdness in his peculiarities. 
He was a large-framed, tall man, with broad, high shoulders, a bright 
eye, a well-shaped head, long limbs, with large hands and feet ; and 
with a sharp, shrill voice, which could be heard to the extent of the 
" Green." He was very plainly and coarsely dressed, usually in a 
dark butternut colored suit, of home-made family cloth, made by some 
cheap tailoress ; and his coat, vest and pantaloons, all of the same color, 
an unbleached cotton sliirt, a pair of blue yarn stockings, cowhide 
shoes, and an antiquated hat, constituted all his apparel, either of use 
or ornament. He did not need a great-coat ; for he seldom went abroad, 
his locomotion being confined to his store ; and the particular part of it, 
where he wore out the greater part of his shoes, being the step-stone, 
or the floor of the door- way. This was his stand-point ! When the 
weather was tempestuous, or very cold, he would close his door, and 
retreat to the store ; but, when the sun shone, or the air was not too 
cold, he was constant, as a sentry in his box, at the door, or on the 
stone, with a cane, about four and a half feet long, watching every 
movement upon the " Green," calling up his customers for a trade, in- 
quiring of strangers the state of religion, or engaged in polemical dis- 
cussions, with any one, whom he could provoke into argument. He 
was a zealous Baptist, and he took a deep interest in anything that per- 
tained to that denomination. His partiality for his sect sometimes 
brought him to loss ; for his faith was large, and those who wished to 
defraud him, sometimes pretended to belong to that denomination. On 
a sunshiny winter's day, as he stood in his door-way, a man drove along 
leisurely, in front of his store, upon a load of shinglS. *' Good morn- 
ing, friend," said Uncle Sam. " Good morning," replied the hare- 
lipped traveler, though without stopping his horses. " Here, why don't 
vou stop V Where do you come from ? " "I come from Bccket ; but 
I can't stop, for I must hurry on to Springfield to sell my shingles." 



AI'I'K.NDIX. I'>"» 

"What's tilt' statu of iclij^inn in IJooketV" "Pretty gtmil, in oiir 
society! the other societies aiiit doing iniicli." "Our Miciety," said 
Uncle 8ani, " what society do you lielong to V" " The Baptist society, 
of course ! I woulilu't belong to any other. I'm an elder in it, in 
Beeket." " You're an elder, are you ! What are you going to Spring- 
field with them shingles for?" "Because I can get S.'3 a l)unch for 
them." " Well, drive them into my lundjer-yard, thcnr at your left, 
and unload, and come here, brother, and get your pay. Ynu'll take 
half cash, and half store pay, won't you?" " Why, I suppose I mu.st, 
if you're one of our folks," said the liapti.st elder. lie accordingly 
unloaded, returned to the store, received his pay, related to the de- 
lighted Uncle Sam, the wonderful progress of religion, in the Bap 
list society in Beeket, and after a cordial parting, went to his own 
place. 

A few days after, Uncle 8am directed a cu.stomer to his yard for 
some first quality shingles, bought of one of "our folks," a pious Bap- 
tist elder in Beeket. He was assured that there were no .such .shingles 
in the yard ; and, on repairing there, he found a few bunchis ..f wnmiy, 
rotten shingles, which were entirely valueless. 

It was not long before ho t^aw a man driving past, with a luad of 
shingles; and, conceiving him to be the one, he exclaimed, — "Here, 
you confounded, lying, cheating, hare-lipped Baptist elder I Conic 
back, I say, you infernal .>;coundrcl, and tell me about the state of re- 
ligion in the Baptist society, in Bucket I " But, whether or not the 
man was the veritable person, who had assumed the cider's title, he 
didn't seein to hear Uncle Sam's call, but drove on towards Springfield 
to sup|dy some person in that market. 

Mr. Arnold was a man, who aflected to place great reliance upon 
prayer. Indeed, he rarely made a bargain, without, as he e.\pres.sed it, 
asking the opinion of the Lord. lie purcha.«ied and sold many and 
large tracts of real estate, in difl'erent and distant parts of the town, 
without .seeing them, relying upon the information, as he averre«l, thus 
obtained. Whether this was so, or because, in his numerous conversa- 
tions with the world's people, he was al.-<o aided, it is certain, that he 
generally, in his purcha.H-s and sales, made .><harp bargains. 

An old woman, one Hepsibah Brewer, lived in one of hi.n buildings, 
and was u frc((i#iit object of his charity. One tlay .she came iut4» hi« 
store, in a hurry, ami sjiid : " Uncle Sam, I want a e<»dfish." " Go 
and get it then," .«aid he. She started for his back nKiui, and he criwl 
out^ — " Not there I not there I I've no co<l-fish for you I " " Yea, you 
have got cod-fish, too, and I want one. It's late I " " Well," said he. 



196 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

"I thiuk we'll ask the Lord about it." " Now, Mr. Arnold, what do 
you want to be so foolish for? I'm in a hurry for it." " Very well ; 
if you can't wait on the Lord, go where you can do better ! But, 
Hepsy, no prayer, no cod-fish!" Aunt Hepsy threw herself, down 
upon her aged knees, exclaiming, in no very reverential tones, " If you 
want to pray, pray then ! " Uncle Sam knelt down beside her, and his 
prayer ran in this wise : " O, Lord, here is Hepsy again after another 
fish ! It seems to us, you know, that she comes rather often ! But I 
don't know that we had not better let her have one this time, as she 
seems to be in a hurry, and the next time she must go to 'Lijah's or 
some of the neighbors." As he arose from his knees, he said, " Well, 
Hepsy, the Lord says you may have some fish ; but don't take the 
whole ones ; pick out the broken fish ; they are just as good for you, 
and they don't sell as well." 

Towards the close of his life, it became necessary for him to undergo 
a surgical operation. He shrank from it, prayed, and failed to receive 
a favorable sign. At last he was prevailed upon to call in Dr. Flint, 
in consultation with Dr. ShurtlefF, his physician. Dr. Flint, as was 
usual with him, was very decided, and expressed himself in rather 
strong language. Mr. Arnold finally concluded to ask the Lord. Dr. 
Flint said, "I don't care who you ask; but anybody that knows any- 
thing, will tell you that if you don't have an operation, you'll die!" 
He knelt down, in the presence of the physicians, and prayed thus: 
" Thou knowest, 0, Lord, that we didn't think it would be necessary 
to have an operation; but it seems thy young servant knows better 
than we did. And now he has brought this Dr. Flint, who agrees 
with him. I don't know who Dr. Flint is; but he swears pretty 
strong ! Still, Thy young servant says he is a good surgeon, though 
he is a hard swearer. But, if he is going to operate on me, I hope 
you'll see to it, that he does it in the best way!" "Amen!" 
roared out Dr. Flint; and the operation was consented to, readily, 
and performed. 

He died in the year 1848, at the age of 7L With all his oddity, 
he was a very good sort of a man. His charities were not always the 
most wisely bestowed, and he was the subject of frequent imposition. 
But he was a man of good intentions, and the world was much better, 
because he had lived in it. 

No. 13. — Silver street, more than any one of the principal streets of 
the town, has retained its original appearance. The greater part df all 
the old houses, which were standing in the early part of this century, 



Ai'ri:\i)ix. 197 

are still there, and cnmparativfly liut a few new ones have been added 
to the number. It is a jileasant street, and its |Ki.sitiiMi, in reforenco to 
soil, dryness, and other aj^rieultiiral advantages, caused it U) he built 
upon early. Ejicli oecupant, at tlie time of the a|)portionments of the 
proprietary lands, received an extensive grant; and the fertility of the 
soil, the increase of the property, and the industry of the [)Oftulation, 
had the effect of causing their original grants of land t(j be kept to- 
gether in families. It extends from Little River, parallel with Main 
street, to Hroad street, and thenc(' running easterly, converges gradu- 
ally towards Court street, until it is merged into it, opjj<jsite the ceme- 
tery. 

At the eastern end of Silver street, are situated the houses, once 
occupied by Blacklcach Fowler, (PluebusI wiiat a name!) Charles 
Dewey, Roland Dewey, Timothy Dewey, Leonard Bush. Aaron Bush 
and his sons Asahel Bush and others ; William Ashley, or " Uncle Bill," 
who lived on the site of Deacon Atkins' Imuse, in the old Kort house ; 
Sil.as Root, (the father of Colonel Silas Root, Major Jo.ieph Root, the 
first publisher of the ''Hampden Register" of John B. Root of Texas, 
and the wife of Major George Taylor.) Medad Fowler, John Stiles, 
Azarinh Moseloy, Esq., Amos Fowler. Shuliael Holcomb. Samuel Lind- 
say, Jo.ecph Bull. Colonel Jacob Nidde, Justus Fowler, Simon Smith, 
Henry Stiles. These persons were the principal inhabitants of the 
street. The Fowlers, *' Uncle Black," as he was called, " for short," 
and " Uncle Amos," were both tall men ; in fact, they were exaggera- 
tions, in size, of Charles anil John, the sons of Porter Fowler, sons of 
" Uncle Black," who are now carrying on their farming op-rations, 
with an industry and talent, which jKjrtains to their race. Amos had 
no children ; a wonderful fact, considering, that, in those times, a largo 
family was the rule, and even a small one, was the exception ; but he 
worked with the .same indu.stry, as if he wore proviiling for the family 
of Priam and Hecuba. He was very careful in all the details of hi.s 
business. He was guilty of no negligence. All his bars were put up I 
All hi.s doors shut ; his hou.-^e swept and garni.shed. His extreme eare, 
in this respect, at times betrayed him into laugh.tble mistakes. It u.s«'d 
to be related of him, that his neighbor and friend, Mr. .*^amuel RmiL, 
who lives on the present Alvin Fowler place, in the house now re- 
moved to tlie we.st .'•ide of Plea.sant street, hail arrangcil with him for a 
loan; and that Mr. William King called on .Mr. Fowler, with a dit*d, 
as security for the mtmcy. After reading the dee<l, he said. " this deeil, 
Mr. King, is all right, except one thing! Sister IliK.»t Ii.hs not nde.i.M'tl 
her right of dower!" King, who untlcrstood the eas«.\ pn»i)om?d to 



198 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

him, to mount into his sulkey, with him, and ride up to Mr. Root's, and 
have the deed sio-ned. He accordino-ly o-ot in, and Kino;, sittins; in his 
tall lap, rode up to Mr. Root's. Mr. Fowler went in ; but in a mo- 
ment, out he came, deed in hand, flapping his hands in astonishment, 
like an animal of the species, that upset the person and equanimity of 
Captain Hector Mclntire, and exclaiming, "Oh, Mr. King! Mr. King! 
only think of it ! Sister Root died last week, and I was one of the 
bearers at her funeral ! " 

There was, also, a story told, that Shubael Holcomb, and Roland 
Noble, became enraged with him, and wished his death. Holcomb pro- 
posed thus to Noble ; said he, " Roland, I am a Christian, and if I 
should kill him, I should have to go to hell ; but, I'll tell you what I'll 
do ! If you'll kill him, I'll be hung for you! " 

Among the worthy inhabitants of that street, who have lived out a 
good old age, was Azariah Moseley, Esq., the father of Oliver Moseley, 
George Moseley, Miriam, the wife of our fellow-citizen, Franklin Bliss. 
George Moseley removed to the West. Oliver has a large family of 
children and grand-children, and the children of Miriam will probably 
be, like the one spoken of by St. Paul. He died in the year 1856, at 
the age of eighty-six years. He was a large farmer, honest and capa- 
ble ; a peace-maker and compromiser, not an intermeddler and a stirrer 
up of other men's quarrels ; a magistrate, a frequent arbitrator ; a man 
of good senge, fairness, and of incorruptible honesty, whose aim of life 
was, to do his whole duty, to make the world better, and his fellow-men 
happier. He was frequently chosen to responsible town offices, and 
yet was never a hankerer after office. But he was not accustomed, in 
town-meeting, to be perpetually reminding the town, that he had been 
selectman, or assessor, or representative ; it was rather his wish, to 
live in his retirement, to attend to his own concerns, and to leave to 
others the ignoble task, of begging for office. On one occasion, he 
was chosen to some office, — I think it was representative of the town 
— and he declined it ! One of his neighbors, who had never been 
thought of, arose and said, that he hoped Esquire Moseley would 
not decline ; that, to be sure, office was a burden, but that each 
man was in duty bound to perform his part in the performance of 
public duties ; let Esquire Moseley, he continued, take the office this 
year, and I will take it the next, and you, Mr. Chairman, or some 
other man may take it the next year after ! I do not remember, that 
the town ever took the latter gentleman at his word, and elected 
him ! 

Another prominent citizen on that street, was the late Asahel Bush, 



Arrr.NDix. I'.I'J 

tlie father of Asalid liiisli, fnniirrly <'<lit()r nf tliP " Westfiplil Stand- 
ard" in this town, who studied law with thf hitc Hon. 1*. lioiso, atnl 
whit is niiw, and has liccn for several years, a j)niniincnt editor and 
the ])nlilisher of the " Oregon Stnfcsninn." 

Mr. ]5usli was froiiuently called to fill the various town ofliees, and 
also that nf Representative to the Generiil Court. He caupht a cold 
at Boston, which settled upon his luny^, and which wa.s prohahly the 
cause of his death. 

Another prominent citizen was Col. Lewis Fowler, son of Justus 
Fowler, brother of Alvin Fowler. He built the red brick house on 
the corner of Silver and South Maple streets, on the site of the old 
family mansion. He was never marricil. He was a farmer, a man of 
readin" an<l information, a useful and faithful oflicer tif the town, a 
representative, ami died in the year isj't at the age of fifty-one. On 
the corner opposite, stood the house of the late Simon Smith, who died 
several years since. He was a most exemplary man. He raised 
a larpje family of children, one of whom, the late Daniel Smith, re- 
centlv deceased, in many characteristics, strongly re.semhled his father. 
Another son, Charles, is a doctor in Ohio, another still, Hiram, is a 
clergyman, somewhere at the West, and there is also Deacon Horace, 
who has been residing, and is known in West Springfield and Spring- 
fiehl. 

Henry Stiles formerly resided at the foot of the hill, on this street. 
He sold his farming lands, and his house, and erected the house at the 
corner of Bates and Court streets. He was a skilful farmer. All his 
lands were well cultivated, and bore good crops. Even a lot of his on 
Poverty Plain, was made jiroductive ; and corn, wheat and gra.^s were 
produced thereon. Not such corn, as wo now see there, but gootl, 
srmnd, thrifty corn ! He carried on the business of making soap and 
potash, and used the ashes a.s a manure. Speaking of Poverty Plain 
com, reminds me of the testimony of a witness on this subject. He 
had sworn, that the use of a lot on that plain, was worth nothing, and 
less than nothing. The opposing counsel asked him. in cross examina- 
tion, — "You say, Mr. D., that the use of that land is worth nothing?" 
"I do." "Have not you seen rye ujion it?" "I have." "Have 
you uot seen corn upon it?" "Cttarn, coarn ! I have; but g<XHl 
heavens! what coarn I why, many a time, have I seen toads, sit- 
ting up on their ends, and playing with the tassels with ili.ir fore 
paws I " 

Mr. Stiles, in the last years of his life, i)e.ame insaiu'. \lv Viwd an 
industrious, honest life. His in.s;inity and death are probably altribut- 



200 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

able to his retirement from business, and his removal from those habits 
of thought, and the neglect of the bodily exercise, which his nature re- 
quired as the necessary pabulum vitce. He left several children, one of 
whom is a resident of Texas. 

We must not omit an anecdote, respecting one of the Deweys, who 
removed to the Black Kiver country, and who was accustomed to come 
down every fall or winter, and spend the gloomy months — gloomy to 
him in Lewis county — with his well-to-do relations. After a some- 
what prolonged stay, he was surprised, one morning, to see his host, in 
the corner, crying. "Why cousin Tim," said he, "what ails you?" 
The host replied, — " You'll never come down to see me any more ! " 
" yes I will, cousin Tim ; I'll surely come down next fall ! " " No you 
won't! Something tells me you ivon't!" "Nonsense," said the vis- 
itor ; " why do you think so ? What has put such a notion into your 
head ? Haven't we always come down, and spent the winter with ye ? 
Come, cheer up, cousin Tim ! cheer up, and tell me what makes you 
think so." The grieved host blew his nose, wiped his eyes, and turn- 
ing his solemn face to his sympathizing guest, said — " 'Cause you'll 
never go away ! " The hint was not given in vain. 



No. 14. — In a former number of these pictures, a brief notice was 
given of two of the lawyers in Court street ; but it is desired to pre- 
pare a connected sketch of the members of the legal profession, who 
have been educated, or who have resided in this town. 

Hon. John Ashley, was probably the first practitioner in the profes- 
sion here. He was graduated at Yale College, in 1730, and died in 
1803. He was one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas, 
the father of General John Ashley, of the Shay's war fame, and grand- 
father of Major William Ashley, of Sheffield. Judge Ashley was much 
in public life; removed to Sheffield, as one of the first settlers of that 
town, and left a high reputation for talent and character. He was ad- 
mitted as an attorney in 1732. 

I find the name of Josiah Dwight, as an attorney-at-law in this town, 
about the year 1750. He, also, became a judge, and removed from 
this town. 

John Phelps was also an attorney here. He lived on the corner of 
Broad and Court Streets, in the Major Morgan place. 

Hon. Samuel Fowler was the oldest attorney, of whom I have any 
recollection. He was graduated in 17G8, at Yale College, and died in 
1828. His residence was, at first, in the large square house, on the 



AI'I'KXDIX. 2<H 

enriior of Main ami Cross streets, nearly opjxjsitfl tlio oM mootinf;-li<ius<r, 
whicli was Inirned. IJut he afterwards reinoveil to the corner of Court 
street. He was not enp;an;ed, as I am informed, extensively in prac- 
tice ; Itut, when the War of the Revolution eame on. and hmke up the 
judicial business, ho retired from praetieo, and devoted himself to other 
pursuits, more active and profitable. lie was the political leader of 
the democratic party, in tlie town, and one of the most influential mem- 
bers of it, in the County and State. When the County of Hampsliire 
was divided, in 1812, he was appointed Judge of Probate, for the new 
County of Hampden, by the democratic legislature, then in power; 
but the appointments of the county ollicers, being made, before the 
county was, in foct, organized, it was held, in proceedings brought 
before the court, on a process of tjno warranto, that such appoint- 
ments wore invalid, a!id the opposition in power tlie next year, filled 
them with men of their own party. In person, Mr. Kowler was, a.s I 
recollect him, a tall, spare man, of a benign face, with a mo.>*t gentle- 
manly address, and well qualified to assume the leadership of a party. 
He filled various legislative oflices in the Commonwealth, and <lied at a 
good old age. He left, as children, Hon. James Fowler and Mrs. Fran- 
ces F. Dwight, widow of Hon. Henry W. Dwight, of Stockbridge. 

Hon. Joseph Lyman, was here as an attorney, .soon after Mr. Fowler 
retii-ed. He lived in the house, where Mr. James Noble now resides, 
and his office stood on the opposite side of the road, upon the bank. 
After Mr. Lyman remove<l to Northampton, the office was removed, 
and now forms the rear part of a house on Broad .street. Mr. Lyman 
was a man of rare amiability of temper, of fine personal appi>arance, 
and great suavity of manner. He was made Judge of Pmbate, for 
the County of Hampshire, and sulKsecjuently Sheriff, an office which he 
filled with great dignity and fidelity, until near the time of his death, 
in 1817. There are nuiny of our readers, who may recollect him ; 
and, once seen, such a person is rarely forgotten. He was a Repre- 
sentative from this town to the General Court, l)efore his reuioval here- 
from. 



No. 15. — We were interrupted, in the preparation of our List num- 
l)or, and, accordingly, resume our sketches of the memlnTS of the bar 
in this town, in the prcst-nl number. 

The list of the mcmlM-rs of the bar, contains, also, the name of Sam- 
uel .>Iather, as a practitioner. He was one of the judges of the Court 
of Common Plca.'^, and resided in the old .Mather place, on Main street. 



■-?> 



202 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

John Phelps, Jr., the son of " old Squire Phelps," of whom I have 
spoken, was also a member of the bar. He removed to West Gran- 
ville, when, after a practice of many years, he was appointed sheriff of 
the county, when Hampden County was organized. 

John Ingersoll, a native of the town, descended from one of the old 
settlers, was graduated at Yale, in 1790, and commenced the practice 
of his profession here, wh6re he remained until the division of the old 
county, when he was appointed clerk of the courts — an oflSce which 
he retained to his death in 1840. At the time of his appointment, he 
removed to Springfield. He was, in all respects, a most estimable man. 
In figure, he was tall and thin, with a mild blue eye, and hair prema- 
turely white. He was dressed with extreme neatness and precision ; 
not rapid in his walk or motions, but remarkably grave and sedate. la 
his business, he was diligent and painstaking. Everything to be done 
by him, was done decently and in order. He was not " a brawler," 
" a busybody," or " a meddler in other men's matters," but was rather 
a peace-maker, and "a compromiser," than a stirrer up of strife. 
After his removal to Springfield, he conducted the business of his 
office, with his early regularity. His venerable appearance, in the 
clerk's desk, seemed to impart a dignity to the court; and the manner 
in which he administered the oath to a witness, was, in itself, an adjura- 
tion to him, to be true to his solemn obligation. Indeed, a court, in 
those days, was a different place from what it is at present. The judges 
were, generally, elderly men, men of large size, and venerable, — even 
majestic appearance. The sheriff, John Phelps, with his well cut fea- 
tures and gray hair, his sword and staff of office ; his close attention to 
the preservation of order and decorum in the court-room ; his rigid ex- 
clusion of all persons from vt^ithin the bar, except the members, ^and 
friends introduced by them ; and his rising, threatening attitude, when 
any intrusion, or noise occurred, to interrupt the decorous silence, or to 
infringe upon the dignity of the court; the well-conditioned, burly 
crier, in his box, opposite to the sheriff, with his .stentorian voice, ring- 
in »• out the " 0, yes," in tones loud enough to awaken the sleepers of 
the church-yard ; the quiet, orderly, well-behaved deputies, not roam- 
ing round, like unclean spirits, but seated in their boxes, with eyes as 
intent upon the judge, and the progress of his proceedings, as were the 
Tyrians upon the "pious Eneas," when he began his narration, from 
"his lofty couch;" the substantial, intelligent, good-looking jurors, 
with eyes and ears open, and apparently listening for their lives; and 
the spectators, either bestowed in the grand jury seats, or in the seats 
appropriated for them, each one watching the progress of the case, with 



Ai'i'i:\i)ix. 203 

all tlio earnest anxiety to herome tlio master of it, wiiicli formerly was 
manifested hy Mr. Hartulinc Saddletree, of Miil-lothian ; the prave ami 
reverend mendmrs uf the bar, in their dres,seoat«, — even a dress frock- 
coat being a rare article, ventured upon imly by some young sprig of a 
lawyer, who had not a proper sense of the dignity of the profession, — 
each one giving his undividi-d attention to the cases, through all the 
court hours of the day ; and finally the law students, who, at each 
term of the court, came to the court-house to learn, and stayed in it, 
day after day, watching the progress of each trial, taking notes of the 
proceedings of the cause, the arguments of the <'ounsel and the charges 
of the judge ; — which, Ity the way, became the subject of discussion on 
the ensuing night, — all these, combined to form a scene of impressive 
dignity, in the manner of judicial proceedings, to which anything wo 
behold, in these modern days, bears little comparison. At that time, 
there was a place for everybody, and everybody wjls in his place. The 
bench was the exclusive place for the judges ; except, that, on the 6rst 
day of the term, the presiding judge, according to cu.stom, invited the 
clergyman to sit in one of the judicial chairs, at the opening of the 
court ; and, after the prayer, to dine with the court and bar. The 
area, within the railing, was appropriated for the use of the members 
of the bar, and no one el.se was admitted to a seat in it, unless on the 
invitation of some member of the court. The members did not find 
themselves seated, cheek-liy-jowl, with horse-thieves, and other crimi- 
nals, or feel obliged to occupy vacant seats in the jurors' panel, or in 
the boxes of the spectators, because their appropriate places were occu- 
pied by those, who were attracted by idle curiosity, or who were placed 
there, under constraint, until a decision should be had, whether they 
were to go " without day," or to attend " the Sunday-school, formerly 
kept by E.s(|uire Frederick Robin.son, in the eastern part of the Com- 
monwealth." IJut, ala.s, times have changed ; and, at least, in some 
respects, without any decided marks of improvement. IJut, I am wan- 
dering from the sketches of the bar, and from H^fiuire John IngersoU. 



Jso. IC. — Hefore his removal from this town to Springfield, Mr. 
IngersoU resided in Court street, in the house now occupied by Mrs. 
Ellen Harr. There were, at that time, two practicing lawyer?*. Klijah 
Bates, who lived on the opposite side of the street to him, being the 
other of the duo. He was the oldest child of Captain Nathaniel Bates 
of F^ist (jranville, and was lM)rn in July. 177n. and graduated at Yale, 
in 1704. He studied law at the Litchfield law jjchool, uf the kte 



204 WESTFIELD BI-CENTEXNIAL. 

Judge Tappan Reeve, author of "Reeve's Domestic Relations," .and 
for a portion of the time, he was in the office of the late Judge Lyman. 
As he and Mr. Ingersoll -were neighbors, so were they friends. So, 
also, were their families. Indeed, the children mingled together, through 
the whole period of their early years, as though they were members of 
one household : and, after the removal of Mr. Ingersoll to Springfield, 
his former friend and neighbor, Mr. Bates, took up his abode at his 
residence, as a boarder, during court weeks, until he relinquished his 
practice at the courts. 

Unfortunately for the professional, or pecuniary success of Mr. Bates, 
" his plow ran to land." He had a great fondness for agricultural pur- 
suits. He purchased a quantity of upland-meadow, where now are 
King street, Bates street, West School street, and on Pine Hill ; also 
land on the plain, in Granville and Montgomery; and, "what was 
worse, and most to be deplored," a controlling interest in the Eighth 
Massachusetts Turnpike, extending from Westfield to Washington. 
This last purchase was "an old man's darling." It absorbed his 
thoughts, and his energies. It withdrew him from his profession, and 
induced him to leave his practice in the hands of a partner, under 
whose management he failed to receive even the " lamb's share." 

From the interest, which he at first felt, in the success of the enter- 
prise, it so grew upon him, that he gave it his personal supervision and 
labor ; and, in its last days, he devoted his time and money to its re- 
pairs. No general officer, ever felt greater pride, at the head of a 
grand army, than did he, in the lead of a body of men, in the rebuild- 
ing and repair of the walls and the wastes of the Eighth Massachusetts 
Turnpike. He did his work well. Rocks were removed, stones were 
thrown from the road, gullies were filled, and, in short, expenditures 
were made upon it, beyond any reasonable prospect of remuneration. 
At his own expense, he procured, and set up mile-stones, from Spring- 
field Court-house to Chester Factories, measuring the road for that pur- 
pose ; and he also opened a new road from the "three-mile-stone," 
on the West Plain, to the old river road, at the Charles Sackett place, 
now called " Madagascar." The "three-mile-stone," deserves a passing 
notice. Some ill-disposed persons, had from time to time, with a van- 
dal spirit, broken down several of these cheering marks of the traveler's 
journey; and, among them, this stone, at the fork of the road, leading 
to the turnpike. 

The doctrine of " total depravity" was, in those days, one of the 
themes, which was very frequently enforced from the pulpit, and it was 
one, which he did not give unto a cheerful assent. But, when he saw 



Al'l'KNDIX. 20-3 

his milestones Itrokoii down ; wlu-ii lie was niado to know, that those 
useful, harmless friends of the wayfarer in an unknown country, were 
ruthlessly removed, Ity heini^s, who ilaimed to he hut " little lowi.-r than 
the aiiE^els," he ^jjave up his opposition, and assented to the iloetrine, — 
in some particular instances, — to its fullest extent. "I'll give," said 
he, "total depravity, one stint;" and, aeeonlini^ly. at the approach of 
the close of a day's work on the road, he repairetl, with a .stronj^ team, 
and a nundier of hand.s, to that " stone-cjuarry," which was obtained 
by our ancestors, two hundred years aj^o, in the New Addition, and 
there procured the "three-mile-stone," a load for two yoke (jf cattle; 
and, having dug a liole, it was duly j)lanted, and stoned, only a small 
portion thereof, appearing above the surface of the surrounding earth. 

Another of his pets, was I'ine hill. It, formerly, was not the broad 
and gradual assent, it is at present ; but wa.s a .steep, abrupt acclivity, 
on the curve of the hill, very narrow, and, from the south side of which, 
the bank descended, almost perpendicularly, to the bushy swamp at the 
bottom. This was the scene of Mr. Hates' play-spells. Here, with 
liis men and teams, his plows and scrapers, he labored to reiluce the 
grade, and to widen the hill, until it was a complete transformation from 
its former appearance. 

Mr. liates continued liis connection with the legal profession, during 
the winter .sea.sons, and when not at work on his farm, until 182.0, at 
which time, his son entered his ollicc, as a student, to obtain his educa- 
tion from the " f/eniiis loci.^'' lie then gave himself up to out-d(Kir 
pursuits, and died at the age of eighty years, in 1850. 

In speaking of Pine hill, I am reminded of an incident. A small 
boy had a small sled, with which he was accustomed to coast on that 
steep hill. The "help." in Mr. Hates' family. consi,ste«l of a short, 
fat, dumpy woman, named Bet, antl a smaller girl. They importuned 
the boy, to give them a ride, which he did, — tlio girl and Bet being 
loaded on the sled, and he mounted, as steersman. After a number 
of rides. Bet desired to go down alone, soliciting instruction froni llio 
lx)y, for the guidance of the sled. The hill indineil .S4imewhat towards 
the edge; and in giving his directions, he mistook, in telling her which 
foot to put down. It therefore so happene<l, that, wln-n the .sled, with its 
cargo, was in full career, and tending toward tin- precipitous edge. 
Bet put down the wrong font, and, in an instant, they dartitd like a cat- 
apult, throuL'h the brush t'ence, on the hill-.siile, int<» the brush Ih;1ow. 
It i-s perhaps, iieedle.s.s lu remark, that, altout that time, the boy left 
suddenly for home, Bet behiiul him, " breathing out thn>atcningn and 
slaughter." 



206 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

No. 17. — In the town of Westfield, at the time of ray early recollec- 
tions, there was a large number of persons, each one of which was 
quite a peculiar character. Some were lawyers, some merchants, the 
greater part of them men of leisure, all of thera little disposed for " ser- 
vile labor " on week-days ; and, being men of social and convivial habits, 
brought together by the i-elations of consanguinity, they were naturally 
inclined to indulge in those pleasures, which spring up from such asso- 
ciations. Many of them, too, were not in active business ; or, if so 
interested, they were inclined to trust the care of it to their clerks and 
agents. Fishing excursions to Hazard's, Hampton, Congamuck, or 
Otis ponds were of frequent occurrence, and the parties were composed 
of many of the first citizens. In the winter season, the inhabitants 
were eminently social ; and entertainments were given by individuals 
at their dwellings, commencing at early candle-light, and continuing 
until after the nine o'clock curfew summoned the Rev. Mr. Knapp, and 
the more sedate part of the company, to their homes. These symposia 
were numerously attended ; and, as the doctrine of reciprocity was rig- 
idly adhered to, the winter, as may be imagined, passed away in a round 
of social pleasures These social pleasures were participated in, of 
course, by the wives, and sometimes by other member of the families ; 
but the men to whom I have referred, used to collect in a small build- 
ing, erected over the well, on the north side of the green, and there, 
protected as well by its roof as by the shade of a wide-spreading elm, 
which stood near to it, to discuss political questions and business transac- 
tions, relate anecdotes, and indulge in that social converse, which is apt 
to increase by its indulgence. The place was adjacent to the tavern, 
which stood on the site of the present Woronoco House, and also the 
quiet well-kept hotel of Gad Palmer, where now is the Second Congre- 
gational Church ; and it was convenient for the members, of what was 
called "the lazy company," to repair to either public house to partake 
of Santa Croix punch in summer, or that other favorite drink, at those 
seasons of the year, which admitted of the attempering flip-iron. 

It should not be understood, that though those convivial habits 
prevailed in those days, there was not also a manliness of character 
in the community. The town was of that size, where what every 
one did, was very generally known to the public. The conduct of 
individuals was exposed to the public eye, and an act of meanness 
or dishonesty was promptly visited by public reprobation. It re- 
quired a bold man to be a rogue; for detection at once brought its 
punishment. 

In ooe respect, there has been a sad departure from the practices of 



APrKNDIX. HUT 

our Jincestors. T :illu<l(^ to tlicir li»v»! fur, ;mil imlulf^onoo in nflilrtir ex- 
ercises. Wrcstiiii;;, niiiirm;^, lc;i|iin;;, n;;mi('H of liall.— fnot-lnill, wirkit 
and l»ast'-l)all — were of constant occurrence; and, in this training, wep- 
formed those stronj]^ constitutions, which have cnaliled the uicn, thus 
reared, to perforin the severe hodily and intellectual lalwir from which 
so many other men shrink. 

The days of militia training;, were, de jurfo, puMic holidays. The 
nicmhers of enrcdied companies, came of cours*'. There were the ar- 
tillery company, with their .scarlet uniforms, their cocked hats and tower- 
ing feathers; "the troup," as the cavalry-company was called ; the com- 
panies of infantry ; and when the "general training," as the boys called 
it, was had, a grand collection from far and near, not onlv of tn»ops and 
officers, but of oyster-carts, tyndjcsteres, and all the other accompani- 
ments which are now only convened upon the arrival of a few negro- 
minstrels, or monkey.s, or a circus. When the training was over, a ring 
was formed, and the wrestling commenced. The defeated contestant 
"brought in his man;" that is, he .selected some one, to contest with 
the victor. So it went on, one after another engaging, until a late hour 
put a period to the amicable strife. It may seem .strange to the jwople 
of the present day, that such exercises were fashionafAe. No one felt 
it a disgrace, or that he lost his dignity in .such an encounter. On the 
contrary, an expert, skillful wre.stler, whether boy or man, who showe<l, 
by his movements, that he had improved himself in the powers «>f that 
body, which was given him, to be the house of a sound mind, was re- 
garded as one, who had done something, not only for himself, but as an 
example to others. 

The effect of these exercises upon the inhabitants of the town was, 
and is now apparent, in the size and appearance of the men who lived 
in tho.se days, and is shown in their several ages. A few years ago, at 
a hearinc before a lecislative cou)mittee, a dozen or more of our citizens 
were present, cnch one of whom, in weight, exceeded 2<i<t p<iunds. 
And about the sjime time, there were living on one side of nne of our 
street.s seven men. over threescore years ami ten ; ami, on the tither 
side of it. a like number, each weighing over 'Ji.>'> |>ounds, and each 
one measuring over six feet in height. 



WESTPMELI) AS IT 1.^. 

A statement of the business, religious, and educational condition of 
Westfield in IXf'.'.l, prepared by lion. T. Kiicil. for tli.' Im>x in the cor- 
ner-stone of the Masonic building on Kim street, laid June 21th of 
that year. 



508 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 



TOWN OFFICERS. 

Selectmen. — Henry B. Lewis, John Fowler, Charles H. Bush. 

C/e/-^;.— William H. Foote. 

Treasurer. — James H. Morse. 

School Committee. — Dr. Millard L. Robinson, Rev. Henry Hopkins, 
Rev. John Jennings, Hon. Henry Fuller, Joseph G. Scott, A. M., 
Homer B. Stevens, Esq. 

Judicial Officers. — Henry B. Lewis, Esq., Samuel Fowler, trial 
justices. 

Engineers of Fire Department. — C. K. Lambson, Reuben Noble, 
Josepli S. Clark, B. F. Town and George D. Smith. 

We have excellent facilities for extinguishing fires. The canal which 
drives a factory in the centre of the village, furnishes an abundance of 
water in its course in ease of fires. There are also smaller streams and 
two or more reservoirs. There are two fire engines and two companies 
to work them in healthy existence. The foreman of " Rough and 
Ready Fire Company " is William G. Lay, and E. W. Dickerman is 
foreman of the '' Bay State Company." 



APPROPRIATIONS. 

Appropriations by the town for the year 1869 : 

Towards purchase of Town Clock, . . S400 00 

Police, 1,500 00 -$1,900 00 

Schools, viz : Teachers and fuel, . . 13,350 00 

Contingent for Schools, .... 500 00 

Painting school-houses, .... 1,500 00 

Re-seating High School 800 00 

General repairs and sinking wells, . . 500 00 

Evening School, 100 00-$lG,750 00 

Interest on Town Debt, . . . . 7,600 00 

Discount on taxes, ..... 2,100 00 

Highways and Town teams, . . . 3,500 00 

Bridges and railings, ..... 1,000 00 

Contingent expenses, .... 1,500 00 

Fire department, 700 00 

School committee, .... 600 00 

Selectmen, . . . . . . 625 00 



Amount carried forward, $17,525 00 $18,650 00 



AI'I'KM.IX. 200 

Amount liroii-^lit fmwanl, $17,.V2.'» 00-81 H.H.'iO 00 

Assessors, . . , . ;ij(( (,(» 

Town Farm ami Poor. .... .'..(mM) 00 

Treasurer and Collector. . 2<i(i (»(» 

Sidewalks, . . . l..')(i(» (Ki 

(jas Bills ;")(»() 00 

l*rinting ;{.'*0 00 

Hardening roads, 1,.'»00 00 

Town deltt ;»,ooO 00 

Feneing new road, .... (i.O 00 

Hose, 600 00 

Altering Clay Hill road, . . U^) 00 

Culverts lor draiiiasc 1,;'»00 O0-S.'32.1HO 00 



S.J1,13<) 00 

State tax, 8,800 09 

County tax 3,553 09 -SI 2,."..").'? 09 



$63,G83 09 



V.\LrATION'. 

The valuation of the property of the town in the year ending May 
1, 18G8, was $4,300,095, and we may safely add for increase fur 
this year, S30O,OO0, making a present valuation of $4,000,505, in 
addition to the shares held in manufacturing corporations, which are 
taxed directly l»y the State. 

The as.scs.sors' returns for May 1, 1868, show 1,774 taxable polls; 
1,012 dwelling houses; G49 horses; 743 cows, and 20!) sheep. The 
rate of Uix for that year, was 1.05 per cent. The population of the 
town in 1805, when the la.st census was taken, was 5,(;3 1, and prohaMy 
it is now not far from 6,300. 



AtiItU I I.IUIt.M.. 

By the statL^tical returns of lH(i5, it appears there were prepared 
for market in the year previous, 5,125 cords of tire-wood and Imrk ; 
H95,oo0 feet of jumlter ; 475,000 shingles and other kinds of luiiilicr 
to the value of S22,2o0. We have 225 farms, eoiit.iining 20.791» aero.^ 
of land, of which 12, '.•97 were improved; unimproved. 3.143; unim- 
provable, 1.001. and 3,9.30 acres of woodland. By the a!*.so83or.V re- 
turns of ISC.H, there were in the town 25.lo7 acres. There were 
grown in the town iluring the yrar mdiiig .^lay 1, !>*'>•». the latest 
return we have, 16,277 bii-.li.'U .-f Iu<lian mru ; 105 bualiels of wheat ; 



210 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

9,471 bushels of rye; 1,452 bushels of buckwheat; 3,031 bushels of 
oats, and of other kinds of grain, 10 bushels. There were raised, 
17,256 bushels of potatoes; 3,325 bushels of turnips, as a field crop, 
and 125 bushels of carrots. There were cut 2,241 tons of English 
hay, and of wet meadow, or swale hay, 495 tons; and 391,205 pounds 
of tobacco. Of other farm products, we have not space nor time to 
speak particularly, but we have them in great variety. 



MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS. 

The leading manufacture of Westfield is whips. Of these, probably 
from $800,000 to $1,000,000 in value are manufactured annually. 
The number of persons employed as near as we can judge, is about 
600, male and female. There were 28 different establishments returned 
in 1865, and probably this is not far from the number in the present 
year. 

Standing at the head of this branch of industry, is the American 
Whip Company, a copartnership with a capital of $204,000, and com- 
posed of eight members, viz. : Henry J. Bush, Reuben Noble, Alonzo 
Van Deusen, Mark R. Van Deusen, Liveras Hall, E. S. Phinney, Wil- 
liam 0. Fletcher and Isaac Van Deusen. They employ about 250 
persons in the various branches of whip-making, and their production 
at the time their brick factory on Main street was burned, on the morn- 
ing of the 7th of May, was at the rate of from $300,000 to $400,000 
annually. They are now engaged vigorously in erecting a structure on 
the old site, 40 feet wide, 1G5 feet long, and four stories high. The 
building burned, was 40 feet wide, 120 long, and three stories high. 
They have a depository for sales in the city of New York. 

The other establishments, though smaller, are enterprising, thrifty 
and industrious. 

There are several establishments engaged in the manufacture of 
cigars. By the statistical returns made to the State in 1865, it ap- 
pears there were 167 males, and 64 females employed. At present 
the number is probably somewhat less. The value of the total produc- 
tion that year was $303,750. 

There are three establishments doing a somewhat extensive business 
in buying, packing, and selling seed-leaf tobacco, the growth of this 
and adjoining States. Several cigar manufacturers also pack and cure- 
what seed tobacco they need for their own use. 

There are two large church organ manufactories in the place. One 
(William A. Johnson's) employing about 60 persons, the other (Steer 



AIM'KN'DIX. 211 

& Turner's) c'lnployitig 2'), all milmi. Oih' lar^e «'staltlisluiiL'nt (Stiiii|i- 
son & Cos) inamifafturL's (Ictacliud parts nf |»iaii<i-fortos, ami deals 
extensively in the same ; three ])a|)eriiiills, two foundries, one makiii;^ 
a sjieeialty of iiiakiiijj; '' steani-licaters," the other maiiufai-tures the 
" Bodiiie Jonval Turl)iiie Water-wheel;" four luniber-yards, one plan- 
ing mill ; seven saw-mills, and two maehine-shops ; two Houring-mills ; 
one sa.sh and blind factory ; two brickyards, one hoop skirt factory, five 
establishments for the manufacture and sale of boot.s and shoes ; two 
daguerrean and photogra|>h galleries ; two printiiig-oflices, each issuing 
a weekly newspaper; the xVeM's //f/^er, established in 1H40, and now 
published by P. L. Buell, and tlie IVestern Hampden Times, published 
by Clark «fe Story, the Hrst number of which w;us issued March 17th, 
of the present year. We have besides, sadille anil harness-makers, 
carriage-makers and wheelwrights, blacksmiths, etc. ; and three coal and 
wood-yards, two powder-mills, one cigar box manufactory, one gin di.v 
tillery, which uses -i"* bushels of corn, and makes about 140 gallons of 
gin daily, paying an excise tax to the general government of nearly 
S'J2,00O a year; also one cider brandy distillery, which does a less 
business, and four livery stables ; there are four confectionery, fruit and 
toy stores ; there are seven dry goods stores, four clothing, three milli- 
nery ; nine where groceries and provisions are kept for sale, tliree 
ap(jtliecaries — one of whom, (J. W. Odton), manufactures '• Flavoring 
Extracts," which have a wide and pleasant reputation ; markets where 
the inhabitants are amply supplied with the best animal food which the 
stall and field can produce, besides " Hying fowl," and fishes, from 
ocean, lake and stream ; three excellent hotels which provide bounti- 
fully for the stomach and delicately for the palate; one extensive hard- 
ware and iron store ; three stove and tin stores, one bakery and one cab- 
inet warehouse and undertaking establishment ; we have ^wv: law oflices, 
two dentistries, one bookstore, seven physicians — allopathic, homo- 
pathic and eclectic, skillful, faithful and diligent, who look tenderly and 
carefully after the liealth, not only of the inlialiilaiits of our own town, 
but also of the towns adjoining. Of builders, joiners, carpenters and 
masons, we know not the number, but we liuve none too many for our 
want.s, as we keep them all employed, and wi.>«li we had more ; so tif 
painters, glaziers and paper-hangers. 

There are other pursuits to which we have not space to allude, 
some according to law and gotxl conscience, others not ; stune alx»vo 
ground, others l>tlow ; but the town rejoices in an ellicient salarieil 
jmlice, who preserve admirable order and good conduct among those 
needing their services. The town is al.so well sujiplieil with illumi- 



212 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

nating gas, of excellent quality, but at prices not pleasant to all 
consumers. 

The excise revenue is cared for by four faithful officers, and the 
general government rejoices in an annual income therefrom of over 
$90,fK)0. 

We have one telegraph office, and two express companies. One of 
the express companies has but recently commenced business, the other, 
''American Merchants Union," did a business in the year 18G8 of 
!tS15,000, and employs constantly three men and two horses, and ships 
goods and parcels by twelve trains of cars daily, whereas in 1864, five 
years ago, the yearly receipts were only $6,000, and the number of 
daily trains only four, and seven years ago the whole business was done 
in a " carpet-bag." 



POST-OFFICE. 

There are seven mails received daily and eight sent away, also one 
additional mail received and sent three times a week. The number of 
letters received during the last week of last quarter was 3,515, and 
the number sent away about 4,200, There are 840 boxes in the 
office, of which 750 are rented. The cash receipts for the quarter 
ending March 31, were $1,938.46. Expenses during the same time, 
$974.45, leaving as the profits of the office for the quarter, $964.01. 



RAILROADS. 



On the New Haven and Northampton Railroad, there were received 
at the station in this town 16,515,488 pounds of freight, which paid 
the company $28,278.20, and there were forwarded from this jDlace by 
this road, during the same period, 18,244,010 pounds which paid the 
company $60,'219.68. The number of tickets sold to passengers dur- 
ing the same period, was 7,870, for $8,400, making a total of cash 
received and charges made on the business furnished by the inhabi- 
tants of the town of $96,897.80. 

Our station agent of the Boston and Albany railroad sold during the 
year ending June 1, 1869, 110,801 passenger tickets, and received 
therefor, $36,682.00. In addition to this, many persons passed over 
the road from town, on commutation tickets, which are purchased at 
head-quarters. There were forwarded during the same time 10,055 
tons of freight, on which charges were paid, amounting to $24,800.50, 
and 21,059 tons of freight were received, on which, $57,522.00 were 



AriM..\i)ix. 213 

paid, niiikinfij a frraiid total of cash receipts and cliarpes on tlie liu.siiiej^s 
funii.slifd l)y our inlialntaiit.s to tliis road of SI I'J.Ott'J.OO, and on hotli 
roads of S215,'J0G.80. 

We have two incorporated National Banks, as follows: The First 
National, with a capital of S2;j(I,0<>(). This hank was organized in 
Decendter, l-SCit, with a capital of $100,0(10. In September, I.SCm, it 
was merited with the AVestfield Hank, (a State instituti(»n or/^anized in 
IfS.Jl). having a capital of SI •'»<•, UOU, making the combined capital 
S2J0,()0O. Its officers are Ib.ii. William G. Bates, President; Charles 
A. Jessup, Ks(j., Vice Pres'ident ; Henry Hooker, Escj., Cashier; Di- 
rectors, William (I. Bates, Charles A. Jessup, Caleb Alden, Cutler 
LaHin, Henry J. Bush. Charles I. Snow, Milton B. Whitney, George 
L. Laflin, Charles l'\)wler. 

The Hampden National Bank was organized as a State institution in 
1825, with a capital of $100,000, which was increased to S 150,000 
in 1851 ; beeamo a National Bank in 1805. Its oflficers are Hon. Ivl- 
ward B. Gillett, President; R. Weller, Esc^., Cashier; James Noble, 
Jr., and Alfred D. Landjerton, Clerks; Directors, Edward B. Cillett, 
Edwin Smith, Alvin Fowler, Samuel Fowler, Reuben Nol)le, James P. 
Cooley of Granville, W. 0. Fletcher, and Royal Weller. Hon. James 
Fowler and Thomas Ashley, Esq., two of our oldest citizens, were stock- 
holders when the bank was first organized, and are still. Besides these, 
there are two private banking houses. Leouard & Lyman, two young 
men, formerly in the llampilcn National Bank, are now doing an ex- 
tensive and successful banking business ou tlieir own account, besides 
acting as real estate and insurance agents and brokers ; also Fletcher 
& Norton, who have done a large and prosperous business as bankers, 
for several years. There is al.so a .savings bank, which was organized 
Id 1853, the lirst depo.Mt, (S50,) being made July 1st, of that year. 
There are now due the depositors, (who nund>cr l,4t"><',) $•"» 17,4 Il.'.i5. 
We enclose herewith a full statement of its conditions up to June lU, 
three o'clock, v. m. 



LI.\l»II.ITIKS. 



L)ue Dej)o.-?itors, 

Surplus, 

Interest, 

Collalcral, . 



r?;j7,in 


'.'5 


14 


• > 1 


4^5 


(M) 


S.!4l',2<i2 


5.{ 



214 



WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 



RESOUKCES. 

Investment in First National Bank Stock, (Westfield), 

Investment in Hampden Bank Stock, (Westfield), . 

Investment in Hampshire Co. Stock, (Northern), . 

Investment in U. S. o-20s, 1862, 

Investment in U. S. 5-20s, 1865, 

Investment in U. S. 5-20s, 1867, 

Investment in Sixes of 1881, 

Loans on Public Funds, 

Loans on Bank Stock, 

Loans on Real Estate, 

Loans on Personal Security, . 

Profit and Loss account, %2,0hb 16 ) 

Expense account, 219 86 i 

Tax account, , . , . . 

Cash on hand, ..... 



. $5,800 00 
200 00 

. 3,000 00 
. 18,000 00 
. 33,500 00 
. 85,200 00 
. 8,500 00 
. 33,210 00 
. 11,000 00 
. 72,360 00 
. 60,326 00 

. 2,275 02 

. 1,145 68 

. 8,686 83 

$349,202 53 

INSURANCE. 

The "Westfield Mutual If ire Insurance Company" was incorporated 
March 30, 1852, and commenced business November 1, 1852. Its 
officers are as follows: Hon. Edward B. Gillett, President; William 
H. Foote, Treasurer and Secretary ; Edward B. Gillett, Lorenzo R. 
Norton, Henry Loomis, Samuel Horton, Dennis Hedges, William 
Proviu, Edwin Smith, James H. Waterman, and W. H. Foote, 
Directors. The amount of risks outstanding at the end of last year, 
was $607,888.00. The amount of loss paid, $400.00. Its gross 
assets, $8,165.65. In addition to this, 26 different fire insurance 
companies have regular agents who do business in the town. A large 
amount of property is also insured in the ." Springfield Mutual Assur- 
ance Company." Au extensive business in life insurance is also done, 
but we have not the statistics at hand. Asa P. Band, Esq., is agent 
for nine different fire insurance companies, and insures annually, about 
$750,000 worth of property. He is also agent for the "Connecticut 
Mutual Life," in which persons are insured in town, according to the 
last annual statement, to the amount of $250,000. 



CHURCHES. 



The morals and piety of the citizens are cared for by the following 
Christian churches : The First, Orthodox Congregational, composed of 



APrFADIX.. 2\-) 

308 monil)ors, inolmllnc; those now iirnpoundod. Rov. Elias Hiindnj^- 
ton Kichanlson, Piistnr ; Anson (i. Cliailwick, Amos Ilallaflay, Ili'iiry 
B. Smith and John II. Heod, Dencrtns ; Kilward H. (lillctt. Norman T. 
Jjconard, AllxTt liakcr. M. Soarlo, Ilirnm Owen, H. W. Knowles, 
Franklin Leonard, Chureh Conunittce ; K. M. Goodrich, Sunday- 
school Superintendent ; M. Searle, Assistant Superintendent ; Mrs. K. 
Goodrich, lid Assistant. The average attendance of .si'htdars, 22l». 
The jsalary of pastor, $2.(tOO. 

The Second, Orthodo.v Congrcfrational Churr-h, wa.«< orn^mi/od May 
2*2. ]H')(>. Its present pastor, Rev. Henry Hopkins. We enclo.se 
herewith n copy of the "confes.sion of faith." etc., with a history of its 
organization and present officers. Their present church edifice v!i\a 
erected in 18<>(l and '(>1 ; dedicated Keliruary 'JS. lSf>l. Co.<«t, in- 
cluiling site, chapel, organ, and furnishing, $2l">,7 1 1 .27. I'resont 
niemher.'ihip, 241. Pastor's .'salary, S2,O0(). The stati.stics of the 
Sunilayschool are : Officers for the present 3'ear, Edwin B. Smith, 
Superintendent; Mrs. A. G. Dickinson, Aissistant Superintendent; 
Pwight W. Stowell, Secretary and Treasurer ; S. S. Conner, Librarian ; 
George FL Spencer and Fred H. Treat. Assistants. The meml)er>liip 
of .school, April 1, iHdO, was officers. 31 teachers, and 2S('» scholars. 

The First Methodist Episcopal, has a membership of 3o7, with '»0 
probationers. Their church edifice was erected in 1H42 and '43 ; dedi- 
cated. March, 1843 ; present estimated value, S3(l,000 ; the Rev. John 
H. Mansfield, Pastor; .salary, S2,00(). The society has recently pur- 
chased a pa.stor's residence, at a cost of $4,.")00. The officers are : 
Thomas Kneil, Seth Cowles, Asa P. Rand, Joseph ^L Ely, Henry J. 
Ru.«h, George Green, Benjamin F. Lewi.s, Trustees; John H. Dudley, 
Lemuel Grant, William Phelps, E. Ralph Lay, Lucius B. Walkley, 
David Laniberton, William Sibley. Horace W. Avery, Stewards. The 
Sund:>y-school has a membership of 372 ; Derrick N. GofF, Superin- 
tendent, as.«isted by 10 officers and 41 teachers; 031 volumes in the 
library. The average attendance for the (juarfer ending April 1, of 
current year, 249. 

West Pari.sh Methodi.st Episcopal Church contains a mcmlicrship of 
31, and 3 probationers. Pa.stor, Rev. S. O. Brown; ."alary, $.')0n. 
The Sunday-school has H teachers, and (»0 .scholars. The society 
erected during the year 18(58, a new church edifice, at a cost of $3,r)<»0, 
and have a pastor's residence valued at SI, <'()(>, 

The Central Baptist Church, has a membership of l''<4. The Rev 
John Jennings, has l>een pa.«tor of this church for the p.istseven years, 
but ha» recently resigned. The church is n<>\v wiilmiit a ]i:t>.iiir- Dur- 



216 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

ing 18G8, it erected a new cliurch edifice, at a value of $43,500, which 
was dedicated August 12, 1868. The officers are : Josiah S. Knowles 
and Newell Cowles, Deacons; L. B. Blood, James R. Gladwin, Lang- 
don C. Kellogg and A. Judson Bradley, Prudential Committee ; Dea- 
con J. 8. Knowles, Church Clerk. The Sunday-school has a member- 
ship of l/iO; average attendance, 120; 16 classes; 22 officers and 
teachers ; 503 volumes in the library ; Abncr E. Gibbs, Superintend- 
ent, and M. P. Breckenridge, Assistant Superintendent. 

There is an organized Universalist Society, now without a pastor, and 
stated meetings. It holds a valuable site for a church edifice, on which 
a chapel now stands, which is occupied by the Second Adventists. The 
officers of the society are Henry Loorais, Reuben Loomis and Timothy 
H. Loomis. 

The Second Adventists have an organized church of 34 members ; 
Pastor, Rev. Eleazer Owen. It has a Sunday-school, the statistics of 
which we have not been able to procure. 

St. Mar;y's Catholic Church, Rev. D. Meiglionico, pastor of parish; 
Right Rev. J. J. Williams of Boston, Bishop ; number of Catholics, 
1,000. The Sunday-school has 200 members; Michael Healey, Super- 
intendent; 20 teachers. 

There is a Young Men's Christian Association, composed of young 
men of the several different churches, which has been highly successful. 
Its members hold prayer-meetings in various parts of the town, which 
have been promotive of great good. They have also given courses of 
literary lectures during the winters for several years, which have been 
well received by the public. The president of the association is Mr. 
Luther H. Beals. 

There are also societies in the several churches among the ladies, 
whose design is social, religious, moral and literary improvement, in 
which, also, collections are made from time to time, of moneys, which 
are devoted to the promotion of some good object. 



BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES. 



There are, of beaevolent societies, a lodge of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows, in efficient life ; a court of the ancient order 
of Forresters, under the name of " Court of Plymouth Rock, No. 
5119," with a financial membership of 52, which meets bi-monthly; 
the " Phcenix Lodge of Good Templars, No. 135," with a member- 
ship of 115; the " Woronoco Division of the Sons of Temperance," 
with a membership of 130; and Post 41, of the "Grand Army of the 



AIM'KNDIX. 



liopulilic," with a iiicmlioislii|i of IC. Tlicsfi or^riinizatlons arc all in 
viirorons and lioaltliy opL'iatidii. Of tlic cfuiditioii of tlie onlor of 
" Fi^c and Afceptod Masons," it would he out of place here to wiy 
anytliinc;. a8 this is to he treated of l)y another pon. 



EDUCATIOX. 

The educational wants of the town are met hy twenty-five puhlie 
schools, arranged in four grades, besides one supported as a union 
school between this town and Southwick. Every alternate year this 
school is under the direction of the Westfield schotd committee. These 
schools are taught by thirty-one teachers, paid by the town. The 
different grades are, " Primary," " Intermediate," " Grammar," and 
" High." IJy taking the full cour.-ie of the diflerent grades, a boy can 
be fitted to enter college, as in them, all branches nece.s.sary to this are 
taught, including the Latin, Greek, and French languages. The 
teachers of the High school, are Abner E. Gibbs, A. M., Principal; 
David B. Furber, A. B., Teacher of Cla.ssics ; Mi.^s Ellen S. Smith, 
and Miss Sara M. Kneil, Teachers of English branches; and Mi.ss 
Margaret Gleason, Teacher of Vocal Music. 

The building occupied by this school, was erected in 1854. for the 
use of the Westfield Academy, an institution of deserved reputation in 
the town in former years, but the great improvement in the public 
schools of high grade in this town and vicinity, rendered the patronage 
extended to the Academy, unsupporting. and the Imildings were pur- 
chased by the town, at a cost of S'5'3,U(tO, for tlie u.«<e of the High 
school ; and this school probably gives as full opportunities for an edu- 
cation, as the Academy, in its best days. By the terms of purcha.se, 
the purcha.«e money, with accruing interest, mu<t be e.xpended for 
educational purpo.>*es in the town. 

The School of Olj.servation, takes its name from its relation to the 
State Normal school. The State pays S.IOO annually to it.s support, 
on condition that its modes of teaching l)e according to the appmveJ 
methods of the Normal sy.stem, and that the pupils of the Normal 
.Kc]io<d shall be welcome to enter and witness tlie practical illustrations 
of the methods taught them in the Normal. Hy this arrangement, the 
inhabitant.s sending j)upils there, have the advantage of a sc1uh)1 taught 
by the best of teachers. The .sclunil has three gnidos : Primary, taught 
by Mi.ss Cynthia Cooke; Intermediate, taught by MIns Cliarlotto K. 
Deming ; and Grammar, taught by .Mr. John II. Haldiinan :ni.! ^Iarfll:l 
28 



218 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENKIAL. 

E. Eoys. This school is deservedly held in high esteem, not only 
by those sending pupils to it, but by the community at large. 

The Davis school takes its name from the late Rev. Dr. Davis, a 
gentleman held in high repute by the citizens of the town, for his many 
virtues, but more particularly for his interest in the cause of popular 
education. In this school, also, there are three departments or grades, 
as in the School of Observation. The same branches are taught. 

The Grammar department of this and the School of Observation are 
the two Grammar schools of the town. To these all the inhabitants are 
entitled to send pupils, and from them the pupils graduate with equal 
privileges to the High school. The principal of the Grammar depart- 
ment is James F. Hayes ; Miss S. L. Bodurtha, Assistant; Miss Martha 
L. Tngersoll has charge of the Intermediate, and Miss Ella S. Eggles- 
ton of the Primary. 

The other public schools in the town, are Primary and Intermediate, 
and occupy a subordinate relation. All appear in a good degree of 
prosperity and eflBciency. 

The school system of the town is directly in charge of the Central 
Committee, and has been for the last six years. The committee have 
full control of every matter relating to the schools under the statutes. 
Eules have been established and published for the guidance of all in- 
terested, a copy of which is herewith deposited, also a copy of the last 
I'eport made by the committee, which will more fully explain our edu- 
cational policy, give the condition of the schools during the year pre- 
ceding, and also the salaries paid the different teachers. The schools 
are supported from the taxes of our inhabitants, and no tax is more 
cheerfully paid. No reasonable appropriation asked for by the com- 
mittee is denied. 

The Normal school is a State Institution, and is conducted under 
the direction of the Board of Education. We herewith deposit a copy 
of its catalogue for the year ending July 16, 1868. The Principal is 
now traveling in Europe, and is to return next October. The influence 
which this school exerts in favor of correct methods of teaching, not 
only in this vicinity and State, but throughout the great West, is a 
source of satisfaction and pride to all lovers of a good education. 
Schools having the same general objects before them, are springing into 
existence in many parts of the country in consequence. The whole 
number of pupils the present term is 134. Number of present grad- 
uating class, 32. 

It is in contemplation to establish in this school an advanced grade 
to fit more thoroughly and completely teachers for the High schools 



Arpi:\i)ix. 210 

of tli<> Cnmniiiuwoulth. The r(infr;ict for :ui onlar£;emont of tlio prrscnt 
liiiildiiig (a wonil rut of wliicli will I»e fouinl in the catiilogiie <li'|i(isitoil,) 
for this purpose has been made with Rlr. George Green, a citizen ami 
builder of the town. The Genenil Court made an approj)riation of 
$12,000 for this purpose at its present session. For more spetilic and 
detailed statements in referenee to this sehool, we refer the reader to 
the printed catalogue deposited herewith. There is one private school, 
under the eflioient and successful management of Mrs. Samuel Fowler. 
It is a young ladies' seminary, composed of boarding and day .scholars; 
the number of pupils, about ''^0. 

The Atheneum was incorporated in IsC 1. The building was erected 
by Iliram Ilarrisnn, Esij.. n<iw deceased, in l.SdO, ami ilonated by him 
to tlie corporation. Mr. Samuel Mather, a native of the town, but at 
tlie time a resident of Hartford, Ct., dtmated Sl(l,(»()() to the institu- 
tion, the income of which only is to l)e u.sed in defraying running 
expenses, such as the salary of the librarian, fuel, lights, etc. Over 
$10,000 have been sul)scribcd by citizens and others, for the purchase 
of books, periodicals, newspapers, etc. Between SOO and 1100 vol- 
umes were dimated by the citizens, in addition to the ca.sh subscriptions. 
There are now in the library, 2,375 bound volumes, besides pamphlets 
and periodicals. Any person may draw books ujion an annual pay- 
ment of S2.IH), and the reading of papers and periodicals in the library 
rooms, is free. 



BI-CEXTKXMAL YK.Vl:. 



This is the bi-centennial year of the incorporation of the town, and 
it is in contemplation to connnemorate the event in a manner Wdrthy of 
the town, and the as.«ociati(>ns of the pa.^t. We deposit herewith a 
fac-simile of the original act of incorporation taken from the archives 
of the State, in the oftice of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. The 
act took effect, May 'JS, IGG'J. 



220 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 



DECENNIAL GROWTH OF WESTFIELD FROM 1765 TO LS70. 

The first census taken in this Commonwealth was made in 1765, 
under provincial authority. At that time Westfield included within 
her territorial limits the towns of Southwick, Russell and part of Mont- 
gomery ; her population was 1,324, of which 41 were negroes. She 
had 191 dwellings and 195 families. November 17, 1770, Southwick 
was set off and incorporated as a separate district. At the succeeding 
census, which was taken in 1776, the population of Westfield was 1,488. 
November 28, 1780, Montgomery was incorporated as a town, but by 
this Westfield probably lost but few of her population. The third 
census and the first taken under the authority of the general govern- 
ment was made in 1790, and gives the population of the town at 2,204. 
February 28, 1792, Russell was set oiF and incorporated as an inde- 
pendent town. At the following census taken in IHOO, our population 
shows a slight falling off, it being 2,185. But Southwick and Mont- 
gomery show a population, the former of 840, and the latter 440. 
Since 1792 the boundaries of Westfield have remained substantially 
intact, and we purpose to give in this paper her population for each de- 
cennium with the ratio of increase or decrease, commencing with the 
present century. 

In 1800, the population of the town was 2,185; in 1810, 2 130, 
showing a decrease of 50, or a little over two per cent. In 1820 her 
population was 2,668 ; increase, 438, or a fraction over twenty and a 
half per cent. In 1830 the population was 2,940, the increase 272, 
the ratio a fraction over ten per cent. In 1840 the population was 
3,526; increase 576, the ratio nineteen and a half per cent, and a 
fraction over. At this time the construction of the Boston and Albany 
Railroad through the town was commenced. In 1850 the population 
was 4,180; increase, 554 ; ratio very nearly eighteen per cent. In 
1800 the population was 5,055 ; increase, 875 ; ratio a fraction less than 
twenty per cent. In 1870 the population is returned at 6,679; in- 
crease, 1,024, the ratio being over thirty-two per cent. At no period 
in her history have all the elements of a healthy prosperity been more 
vigorous and thrifty than at the present time. We append the follow- 
ing from the census taken the present year, (1870), by the United States 
assistant marshal, Darwin H. Bunnell, Esq. Number of dwellings in 
town, 1,080; families, 1,380; inhabitants, 6,079 ; colored people, 63 ; 
born in foreign countries, 909 ; number of farms producing more than 
$500 per year, 172 ; number of manufacturing establishments, 80 ; 



APPENDIX. 221 

number of deaths in the year ending Juno 1, 1870, 13G ; oldest per- 
son in town, Lucy Root, i)4, (deceased since census was completed.) 



Copy of the deed of Cnnke|tot and others, reft-rred to in the arl- 
dress of Mr. Bates, on jjajje ()7, of the tracts of land, einltracinj; the 
present territory of Shenield, Great Barrington, Egremont, Alford, 
Mount Wa.shington, and Bo.ston Corner. It was copied from the an- 
cient liiiok of Records of the Liiwer Ifousntonic Proprietanj, l»y Hun. 
Increase Sumner, and forwarded liy him to S. G. Drake, Rnrj., Secre- 
tary New England Ili.storic Genealogical Society, and published in their 
Register, for the year 18.j4, from which it is now taken. Considering 
the large extent of the tract, .so purcha-^ied by Captain A>hley, — after- 
wards Judge Ashley of Westfield, — the consideration was rather inade- 
([uate. even to its value at that time. The appropriate place for the 
introduction of this deed, would have been in connection witli the cop- 
ies of the other deeds printed herein, but it was accidentally laid aside, 
until too late for insertion there. 

INDIAN I)I:KD of (lUKAT I', AltUlN(iTON, &c. 

Know all Men by these pre.'^ents that we, Conkepot Poneyote — Par- 
tarwake — Naurnau(iuin — Waenenocow — Nawnausquan — Cauconaugh- 
fyet — Nonauicaunct — Naunliami.«s— Sunkluink— Pnpaqua— Taunklmnk- 
pus — Tartakim — iSauncokehe — Cancainiap — Sunkiewe — Nauheag — 
Mauchewaufeet — John VanGilder — Pinaskenet — all of Housatonack 

allias Westonodk, in New England, in ye province of the Ma.«vsa- 

chusetts Bay : for & in consideration of a valual>li! .'^um well .secured by 
bond viz— Four Hundred and Sixty Pounds — Tliree Barrels of Sider 
& thirty quarts of Hum : bearing date with these PresenUs, umler ye 
hand & seal of Capt John Ashley of Westfield in ye County of Uam|>- 
shire; we have given, grantt'd, bargained, sold, aliened, conveyed & 
conlirmed, and doe by these presents, fully, clearly and ab.solutely give, 
grant, bargain, .sell, allinate. convey & conlirm unto Col John Stwldard, 
Capt John A.shley, Capt Henry Dwight & Capt Luke Hitchccn-k. R«|rs, 
all in the County of Hampshire, Committee appointed by ye General 
C«)urt to purcha.se a certain Tract of lantl lying upon H«)U.satonaek 
River, allias We.stonook. in order for tlu- .settling two towns then-, ami 
unto such as ye Committee have or .shall aihnit in onler f<ir ye .settling of 
»aid Towns, to them, their Heirs & assigns a certain Tract or parcel of 
laud, Meadow, swamp & u[.land. lying on ye River afore^;li.l butte.l k 



222 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL. 

bounded as folio weth, viz : — Southardly upon ye divisional line between 
the Province of Massachusetts Bay : and the colony of Connecticut in 
New Eno-land — Westardly on ye patten or colony of New York, north- 
ardly upon ye Great mountain known by ye name of Manskuseehoank* 
— and Bastardly to run Four miles from ye aforesaid River — and in a 
general way so to extend — Furthermore it is to be understood that ye 
abovesaid Indians reserve to themselves within the aforesaid Tract of 
land, described by bounds and butments, Southardly on a Brook on ye 
west side Housatonack River, known by the name of Mannanpe- 
nokcan and Northardly to a small brook lying between ye aforesaid 
Brook and ye River called Wampanikseeport — allias White River .-f 
viz All ye land between ye aforesaid Brooks from said Westonook River 
extending unto ye patten of the Colleny of New York — Together with 
a clear Meadow, between the aforesaid small Brook extending North- 
ardly unto ye aforesaid White River ; viz, the aforesaid Indians reserve 
to themselves all ye land between ye Brooks running due West line 
from ye mouth of sd Brooks unto ye patten of ye Colleny of New York 
aforesaid — And we ye aforesaid Indians doe for ourselfs, our heirs Ex- 
ecutors & Administrators, Covenant promise and grant to & with the 
aforesaid Committee & such as they have or shall admit of for Planters 
of sd Townships — That before the ensealing hereof, we ye sd Indians are 
ye true, sole & lawful owners of ye aforegranted premises and are law- 
fully seized and possessed of the same in our own proper right, as a 
good perfect &■ absolute estate of inheritance in fee simple, and have in 
ourselfs good right, full power & lawful authority to grant, bargain, sell, 
convey & confirm sd bargained premises in manner aforesaid — And ye 
sd Committee & such as they shall or may admit for Inhabitants of sd 
Townshipps to them their heirs and assigns shall &l may from time to 
time and at all times hereafter by virtue of these Presents, lawfully & 
peaeibly occupie. Possess and enjoy the said bargained Premises with 
all ye appurtenances, free & clear, and clearly «& freely acquitted & 
discharged of, from all & all manner, former & other Gifts, Grants, 
Bargains, Sales, Jointures, Mortgages, Wills, Devises & Incumbrances 
whatsoever — And furthermore We the sd Indians, for ourselfs and for 
sd Heirs, Executors & Administrators doe covenant & engage to secure 
& defend ye sd bargained Premises unto them the aforesaid Committee, 
and to such persons as the sd Committee have or shall admit in order to 
ye settling sd Towns, to them or their Heirs & Assigns forever — against 
ye the lawful claims & demands of any Person or Persons whatsoever 
— In witness whereof, we the aforesaid Indians have hereunto set our 
*Now called Monument Mountain. tNow called Green River. 



APPENDIX. 



223 



Lands and seals this 25th day of April, in yo tenth year of his Majisty's 
ri<>;n and in ye year of or one thousand seven hundred & twenty four : 
Signed, sealed & deld in 
presence of us — Comact Borghghart 
Benjamin Smith 
John Gun Jun 

Samuel Bartlett Conkepot. his mark X neal 

Poneyote, his mark ) : seal 

Pota wakeont, his mark T seal 

Naunausquan, his mark © seal 

■Waneno.M.w, his mark 'H seal 

Naunamiuin, his mark o' seal 

Conconaughpect, his mark G' seal 

Nonaucauneet, his mark k' seal 

Paiuiopeseennot, his mark Y seal 

Covconofeet, his mark B: seal 

Naunhamiss, his mark E' seal 

Sunk honk, his mark (: seal 

Popatiua, his mark R seal 

Taunk honk pus, his mark T. seal 

Tatakim, his mark 0: seal 

Saunkokehe, his mark 2 seal 

Cancanwap, his mark seal 
Saunkewcnaugheag, his mark § seal 

Manehewanfpet, his mark X- seal 

John Vangilder, his mark V: seal 

Ponaskenet, his mark § seal 
The aforesaid is a Copy of ye Deed given by the Indians for ye 
Housatonack Land— Examined by me— 

Ehener Pomroy by order 
Acknowledged before 

John Ashly. J. P. 



224 WESTFIELD BI-CENTENNIAL 



NOTE. 

The intelligent reader -will of course notice a few typograpbical and 
grammatical errors in the foregoing pages, which have escaped the 
notice of the different persons, by whom the proofs were corrected. 
Such errors are to be expected, when the corrections are not entrusted 
to a single person. Of necessity, this could not have been done, in 
the preparation of this volume, as occasional absences prevented it. 

The Committee have been assisted in the work, by the Hon. Mr. 
Bates, and Hon. T. Kneil; the "Introduction," and the account of 
the "Preliminary Proceedings" having been written by Mr. Bates, 
and the Proceedings at Table, and the subsequent parts of the narra- 
tive by Mr. Kneil. The "Address of Welcome " of Mr. Gillett, and 
the "Response" of Mr. Eldredge, as also the "Report of the Speeches 
at Table," were for the most part made up from the report in the 
Times, and few brief notes made thereof, and were not revised by the 
authors. 



ERRATA 



On page 70 omit the from the first three lines of poetry. 
On page 77, eighteenth line from the top, for and read as. 



In (1 ex. 



Letter of Committor t.. Mr. Mates. 

Mr. Hates' Reply, • 

Introduction, 

Preliminary Proceediuf^s, 

Town-meetinj,', July :'., 1><0!I. 

(leneral Comauittec of :5.'>, 

Committees on Celebration. 

Programme, 

Exercises in Church. 

Original Hymn by Mrs. Ellen E. Barr, 

Address of Welcome by Hon. E. B. GiUett, 

Response by Hon. John H. Eldredge, 

Original Stanzas by ^liss F. B. Bates, 

Mr. Bates' Historical Address, 

The Dinner. . • ■ " 

Speech by Hon. H. G- Kui^^lit, 

•' Hon. Charles K Ladd, . 
" E. V. B. Holcomb, Est].. 
j« Rev. Dr. S. R. Ely, 
" Hon. William (i. Bates. 
" Itev. Ambrose Day, 
" Rev. E. H. Richanlson, . 
Captain P. Solomon, 
R. V. H. Hopkins, 
'» Captain L. F. Thayer. 
" P. C. Bliss, E8<i., 
•• John W. Dickinson, Normal School. 
• .lames C. (m^enough, " 



:5 

4 
5 

'J 

1(» 
11 
12 
15 
'2'2 

•_'4 

•27 
•_'« 

.s5 
■SO 
61 

Sit 

yo 

<M 
!<.") 
!i7 
MS 
inl 
10:{ 
104 
106 



220 



INDEX. 



Letter of Kev. Hiram Bingham, 
Original Song of Mr. George Stowe, 
" Stanzas by Mrs. J. M. Loomis, 
" Miss S. M. Kneil, 
Incorporation of Westfield. 

Bounds Established, ..... 
Westfield Records, 1658-61). 
" Remonstrance, 1676, 
" Petition for New Additions, 1736, 
])istributioii of Outer Commons, 1731, 

" of Charity Lands in Inner Commons, 1733. 

" of Inner Comnious, 1733, 

Forting the Town, 1747, .... 
Prices of Articles and Labor Established, 1777, 
Letters of Regret and Acceptance, . 
Joshua Atwater, Edwardsville, 111., 
R. A. Chapman, Chief-Justice Supreme Judicial Court, 
Prof. George W. Benedict, Burlington, Vt., 

L. F. Allen, Esq., Buffalo, N. Y 

G. H. Loomis, Esq., Boston, 

Cornelius Hedges, Esq., Helena City, Montana Territory. 

J. Sibley, Judge, etc., Quincy, 111., 

Mr. William L. Atwater, New York City, . 

Mr. Henry F. Terry, Santa Rosa, Cal., 

Mr. O. R. Ingersoll, New York City, 

Henry W. Taylor, Esq. , Canandaigua, 

" A Model Love Letter," Rev. Edward Taylor, . 

Emigration to Lewis County, N. Y. , and Letter from W 

son Stephens, .... 

Extinguishment of Indian Title, 
Alquat's Deed, June, 1669, 
Joseph Atherton's Deed, 1702, 

Pictures of Westfield as it was, from No. 1 to No. 18, 
Westfield as it is, . 

Decennial Growth of Westfield, from 176."5 to 1870, 
Indian Deed of Great Barrington, . 



Hud- 



107 
108 
110 
112 
121 
122 
122 
124 
127 
129 
130 
131 
132 
133 
136 
139 
140 
141 
142 
14.0 
145 
146 
147 
1.50 
151 
152 
157 

159 
161 
162 
164 
166 
207 
220 
221 



AVcstfi (^1 (1 Jill ) i lee : 



\ i:i I 'I. I 'I I 



CKLKIUIATIOX AT WKSTFIKLD. MASS.. 



1^\l 


> 1 1 1 NDKKin'ii A .\M\ l:l:>AIJ^■ 




(l>( the ,'|Hcor|ionlioii of tltr (""oluu. 




OCTOBER <;, ISC'.), 




Willi iiir 1 


11 


1 STo K K "A L A 1) 1) liKSS 




Hon. WILLIAM (i. IJATKS. 




Wll HI 11 1 1! 




/'/;/•."' 7/ A'.v. .i.v// J'ijKMS of TlIK mi W^inx. 




UHiI) nil '!Appcnbiy, 




Loi\t\ining Mistoricni Documents of Local imercst. 




WKSTFIKLl), MASS.: 




1 1, \ i; K \ s roK V, iMi'.i.isii i;i:n. 




I s 7 (1. 



/ 









^ >:>3> 



5^ .^ 









3> '?i: 






4 5 3>i 

5» > -= 



-> > z:> >^5>- 









3>J>^ 






2> >,:5:> 









^>T> :>.:^? 



:> ^ ^ - 
>^ > : 

:> T> - 



^?^^ 



> ;3> •:> :> ? 






.5> :z> ? >> 
2> ::> > ^ 


















> :> ^ 



> ^y^-- 












> -> OJ» __J 


r .,v J> 


>j^i.> 3a 


► z> 


:> > >5 113 


» -^ ■■:> 


i>^ >-> u 


» - •z> 


^-' ■» ^U 


► J _> 


» » ^:^ 


J r> 


~>> » ^^fc 


^ ) --w 






S 2 



VI 



mm-, 



^ J > ^ 












»;v > 



. Ml 

•. ...i $ 




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




012 608 885 1 • 






W0M0. 



